Trump promises to strengthen ties with United Arab Emirates on Gulf tour

By Gram Slattery, Andrew Mills, Federico Maccioni and Yousef Saba

May 15, 202511:16 AM MSTUpdated an hour ago

Item 1 of 12 U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Yousif Al Obaidli, director of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, as he tours the mosque grounds in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 15, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

[1/12]U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Yousif Al Obaidli, director of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, as he tours the mosque grounds in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 15, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary
• Companies

• Trump flies from Qatar to UAE on Gulf tour
• Gulf region aims to join global AI centres
• President visits US troops in Qatar
• Preliminary agreement would allow US chip imports

ABU DHABI, May 15 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Thursday pledged to strengthen U.S. ties to the United Arab Emirates on a visit to the Gulf state that is expected to deepen cooperation on artificial intelligence.

Trump began a visit to the UAE on the latest stage of a tour of wealthy Gulf states after hailing plans by Doha to invest $10 billion in a U.S. military facility during a trip to Qatar.

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“I have absolutely no doubt that the relationship will only get bigger and better,” Trump said in a meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

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“Your wonderful brother came to Washington a few weeks ago and he told us about your generous statement as to the 1.4 trillion,” Trump said, referring to a UAE pledge to invest $1.4 trillion in the U.S. over 10 years.

Trump was referring to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mohamed’s brother and the UAE’s national security adviser and chairman of two of Abu Dhabi’s deep-pocketed sovereign wealth funds.

“And all I can say is thank you very much,” Trump added. “We will work very hard to deserve it.”

Sheikh Mohamed told Trump the UAE was “keen to continue and strengthen this friendship for the benefit of the two countries and peoples,” adding to Trump: “your presence here today, your excellency, the president, confirms that this keenness is mutual.”

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Before his departure for the UAE, Trump said in a speech to U.S. troops at the Al Udeid Air Base southwest of Doha that defence purchases signed by Qatar on Wednesday are worth $42 billion.

He was met at the airport in Abu Dhabi by Sheikh Mohamed, and the two leaders visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, its white minarets and domes, impressive in the late-afternoon light.

“It is so beautiful,” Trump told reporters inside the mosque, which he said had been closed for the day.

“First time they closed it. It’s in honor of the United States. Better than in honor of me. Let’s give it to the country. That’s a great tribute.”

The UAE’s leaders want U.S. help to make their wealthy Gulf nation a global leader in artificial intelligence.

The U.S. has a preliminary agreement with the UAE to allow it to import 500,000 of Nvidia’s (NVDA.O), opens new tab most advanced AI chips a year, starting this year, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The deal would boost the UAE’s construction of data centres vital to developing artificial intelligence models. But the agreement has provoked national security concerns among sectors of the U.S. government, and the terms could change, sources said.

At the presidential palace, Trump and Sheikh Mohamed could be seen in TV footage in conversation with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

Trump said he would probably retu