WASHINGTON — The United States on Monday formally designated the United Arab Emirates "a major defense partner" while agreeing to deepen collaboration on artificial intelligence, the White House announced following President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's first meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office on Monday.

The moves put the US-UAE military relationship on the same footing as that between the United States and India, likely allowing Abu Dhabi tier-one access to certain forms of US military and dual-use technology, while simultaneously laying the groundwork for fulfilling Sheikh Mohammed's ambitions for the UAE to take a leading role in AI development.

The agreement comes as Washington seeks to draw the Gulf Arab power closer into its orbit and away from China's influence across the Middle East and Africa.

The upgraded defense partnership aims to "to further enhance defense cooperation and security in the Middle East, East Africa and the Indian Ocean regions," by allowing for "unprecedented cooperation through joint training, exercises and military-to-military collaboration between the military forces of the United States, the UAE and India, as well as other common military partners, in furtherance of regional stability," the White House said in a press release.