 "Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to visit the White House, where he will hold talks with US President Donald Trump. File photo/Reuters")
It’s going to be a packed Tuesday, with several key events lined up across the world.
To begin with, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House. The two leaders are expected to discuss ways to strengthen their long-standing partnership.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be in Spain for an official visit. He is likely to take part in a programme at the Congress of Deputies during his stay.
Back in India, the Congress has called a review meeting with in-charges, state unit chiefs, Congress Legislature Party leaders and secretaries from 12 states and Union territories where a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls is currently underway. The meeting comes right after the party’s major loss to the NDA in Bihar.
Here is all that is set to take place.
Saudi Crown Prince to meet Trump
US President Donald Trump will host Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on Tuesday. This will be the prince’s first visit to the White House in over seven years.
Trump is looking to secure benefits from the $600 billion Saudi investment pledge, which was announced during his visit to the kingdom in May. At the time, he avoided raising human rights concerns, and he is expected to do the same during this visit.
For Mohammed bin Salman, the agenda is packed too. He wants stronger security assurances at a time of regional tension, along with access to artificial intelligence technology and progress on a deal for a civilian nuclear programme.
Plans for the big day include a military welcome, a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office and an evening dinner. Invitations have already been issued, largely to top corporate leaders, lawmakers and governors, several of whom Trump personally phoned, sources told CNN. First Lady Melania Trump is overseeing event coordination, as is customary for major visits.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy to visit Spain
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Spain on Tuesday, where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
During the visit, Zelenskyy will attend a session at the Spanish Congress of Deputies. He will be welcomed in the historic “Salón de Pasos Perdidos” by members of the Chamber’s leadership. This will be his second official trip to Madrid.
Previously, Zelenskyy had said Spain is joining key efforts that support Ukraine’s defence.
“We have been preparing this for a long time, and now we can say the visit to Spain will be productive. Another strong country is joining our partners in initiatives that truly help us,” he said.
Alongside official meetings, several sources say Zelenskyy and Sánchez are expected to visit the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía to see Pablo Picasso’s famous painting Guernica, a powerful symbol of the horrors of war.
Later in the afternoon, the two leaders are scheduled to hold a press conference where they will share updates on their talks and cooperation between the two countries.
Congress calls a review meeting
After its poor performance in the Bihar elections and the party’s strong pitch against what it called “vote chori”, the Congress has scheduled a review meeting on Tuesday.
This comes a day after the NDA secured a sweeping win in Bihar, bagging 202 seats against the Mahagathbandhan’s 35. Following the defeat, the Congress questioned the role of the Election Commission (EC) in the polling process.
Top party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, met to discuss the disappointing result and the next steps.
A senior Congress functionary confirmed that the review meeting will be held at Indira Bhawan on 18 November and will be attended by AICC in-charges, Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaders, and party secretaries from states and Union territories where the Special Intensive Revision exercise is underway.
With input from agencies