DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia’s crown prince mentioned Thursday the dominion needs to take a position $600 billion in the US over the following 4 years, feedback that got here after President Donald Trump earlier put a price ticket on returning to the dominion as his first overseas journey.

Trump’s 2017 journey to Saudi Arabia upended a practice of U.S. presidents first heading to the UK as their first journey overseas. It additionally underscored his administration’s shut ties to the rulers of the oil-rich Gulf states as his eponymous actual property firm has pursued offers throughout the area as properly.

The feedback from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reported early Thursday by the state-run Saudi Press Company, got here in a telephone name with Trump. It marked Trump’s first name with a overseas chief since his inauguration Monday.

“The crown prince affirmed the dominion’s intention to broaden its investments and commerce with the US over the following 4 years, within the quantity of $600 billion, and probably past that,” the report mentioned.

The readout didn’t elaborate on the place these investments and commerce might be positioned. The U.S. lately has more and more pulled away from counting on Saudi oil exports, which as soon as was the bedrock of their relationship for many years. Saudi sovereign wealth funds have taken massive stakes in American companies whereas additionally sports activities as properly.

Saudi Arabia does, nonetheless, rely predominantly on U.S.-made weapons and protection techniques, which might be part of the funding.

The White Home on Thursday issued a press release acknowledging the decision, saying the 2 leaders “mentioned efforts to convey stability to the Center East, bolster regional safety and fight terrorism.”

“Moreover, they mentioned the dominion of Saudi Arabia’s worldwide financial ambitions over the following 4 years in addition to commerce and different alternatives to extend the mutual prosperity of the United State and the dominion of Saudi Arabia,” the assertion mentioned, with out elaborating.

The crown prince, the de facto ruler of the oil-rich kingdom, additionally spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio early Thursday.

On Monday after his inauguration, Trump talked about probably heading to the dominion once more as his first overseas journey, as he did in 2017.

“The primary overseas journey sometimes has been with the U.Okay. however … I did it with Saudi Arabia final time as a result of they agreed to purchase $450 billion price of our merchandise,” Trump instructed journalists within the Oval Workplace. “If Saudi Arabia wished to purchase one other $450 billion or $500—we’ll up it for all of the inflation—I believe I’d most likely go.”

Trump supplied no breakdown on the gross sales, although in 2018 within the White Home, he famously confirmed Prince Mohammed a poster declaring $12.5 billion in “finalized gross sales” to the dominion of army weaponry.

“That’s peanuts for you,” Trump instructed the smiling prince, who chuckled.

On a possible journey to Saudi Arabia in Trump’s new time period, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt instructed journalists Thursday: “I’m not conscious of any plans right now.”

Trump’s 2017 go to to the dominion set in movement a yearslong boycott of Qatar by 4 Arab nations, together with the dominion.

Trump maintained shut relations with Saudi Arabia, even after Prince Mohammed was implicated within the 2018 killing and dismemberment of Washington Submit columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. The dominion additionally had been speaking for years with the Biden administration a couple of wider deal to diplomatically acknowledge Israel in trade for U.S. protection protections and different help.

The $600 billion pledge, which dwarves the gross home product of many countries, additionally comes as the dominion faces budgetary pressures of its personal. International oil costs stay depressed years after the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, affecting the dominion’s revenues.

In the meantime, Prince Mohammed additionally needs to proceed his $500 billion venture at NEOM, a brand new metropolis in Saudi Arabia’s western desert on the Pink Sea. It additionally might want to construct tens of billions of {dollars}’ price of recent stadiums and infrastructure forward of it internet hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

—Related Press author Michelle Value in Washington contributed to this report.