UAE ambassador confident US F-35 deal will be fulfilled
"You can't … take tools away from your partners who are expected to do more," Ambassador Yousef al-Otaiba said Monday.
The United Arab Emirates’ ambassador in Washington is expressing confidence that a proposed sale by the United States of 50 F-35 jets fighter jets to his country will be fulfilled by the administration of President Joe Biden.
“Everything is still proceeding while undergoing a review at the same time,” UAE Ambassador to the United States Yousef al-Otaiba said during an online event hosted by the Washington Institute on Monday, adding, “I am confident it will end up in the right place.”
The administration of former President Donald Trump offered a $23 billion sale of 50 F-35s, 18 MQ-9B drones and precision-guided munitions to the UAE after its leaders signed an agreement normalizing ties with Israel last year.
But Biden has vowed to stop US support to the Saudi-led military coalition, which includes the UAE, due to its role in the devastating civil war in Yemen. The State Department initiated a review of the F-35 sale to Abu Dhabi and a proposed guided munitions sale to Riyadh last week.
