Saudi Arabia Pays $500m to Host US Troops on Its Land

By Staff, MEE

Saudi Arabia paid the United States $500m last month to cover part of the cost of US troops stationed in the kingdom, the Middle East Eye cited a US official as saying.

Meanwhile, bilateral talks over military expenses continue.

According to Pentagon Spokeswoman Commander Rebecca Rebarich, the payment was "the first contribution" in a burden-sharing partnership between the US and Saudi Arabia to support regional security.

"The Saudi government has agreed to help underwrite the cost of these activities and has made the first contribution," Rebarich said.

Relatively, US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News last week that Saudi Arabia had "already deposited $1 billion in the bank".

Saudi payments to the US to offset military costs are not new. During the six-month Gulf War of the 90s, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other Gulf states paid the United States $36bn.

The US also charged the kingdom $331m for the cost of aerial refueling operations that the US military provided to Saudi warplanes carrying out air strikes in Yemen.

Only part of that payment has been collected, but the US, at Riyadh's request, stopped providing aerial refueling to Saudi jets operating in Yemen in November 2018.

Saudi Arabia is the biggest global buyer of US weapons, with its total military spending far surpassing the amount spent by any other country in the region.