Trump says he 'appreciates' Saudi purchase of U.S. military equipment

OSAKA (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Saturday he appreciated Saudi Arabia’s purchase of U.S. military equipment, calling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a “friend of mine” who had worked to open up the country with economic and social reforms.

“It’s an honour to be with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, a friend of mine - a man who has really done things in the last five years in terms of opening up Saudi Arabia,” Trump said ahead of a bilateral meeting with the crown prince, known as MbS, in Osaka, Japan.

“I think especially what you’ve done for women and seeing what’s happening - it’s like a revolution in a very positive way,” he added on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) summit.

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Trump declined to respond to reporters’ questions on whether he would address the death last year of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of MbS. The CIA has determined the prince ordered his killing, but Saudi officials have denied any involvement.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Writing by Chang-Ran Kim)

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