It was reported that the United States administration would recognize the $23 billion weapon sales to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which was undertaken review in January. The statement came in late Tuesday. Speaking upon the issue, a State Department spokesperson said that even if such a decision is taken, the reviewing process of the deal’s details is continuing. The delivery is expected to be realized after 2025, the spokesperson added.
The arms sales deal was finalized during the last days of the previous US administration under Donald Trump’s presidency. When Biden took office, he halted all critical agreements, which Donald Trump signed, in order to review their details.
The aforementioned agreement, which is worth $23.37 billion, involves 50 F-35 Lightning II aircraft, 18 MQ-9B Unmanned Aerial Systems, and a package of air-to-air and air-to-ground ammunition.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia have been criticized by some US congresspeople due to their involvement in the war in Yemen, where the United Nations has identified that the world’s worst humanitarian crisis being experienced, with almost 80% of its 30 million population living in need of the humanitarian assistance and protection. In this context, the Biden administration previously announced that the US stopped its assistance to the Saudi offensive in Yemen.
