The U.S President Donald Trump has planned to meet with Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammad bin Salman at the G20 meeting. The meeting will take place next month in Argentina. In spite of the American intelligence reports indicating the Arab leader likely directed the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump made his remarks during an impromptu press conference with reporters outside of the White House. The West Wing has indicated that Trump would not seek to punish Salman for the alleged murder. Trump had indicated the U.S government stood with Saudi Arabia despite the killing incident took place at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.
Trump said in a statement that it could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event. He maybe did and maybe didn’t! He added that our relationship is with Saudi Arabia has its own importance. Both countries are major partners in the fight against Iran. The killing of Khashoggi, who resided in the United States and disappeared after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul ahead of his planned wedding, has led to rare bipartisan criticism of the Saudi Arabian government, including its involvement in the bloody war in Yemen. The White House has been cautious and has justified not punishing Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi’s death by citing the threat of Iran in the Middle East.