Kushner supports the administration’s talks with the UAE on the potential for advanced arms sales, led by NSC Senior Director for the Middle East, Miguel Correa, a senior administration official said.
The tight stance on details of these talks has caused confusion about the U.S. government, two State Department officials and several congressional assistants, CNN reports.
Trump said the potential sale was “under review” during a news conference on Wednesday. He also said the Emirates have the funds to pay for the military hardware.
On Thursday, Anwar Gargash, the UAE Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, said at an Atlantic Council event that “the UAE has indicated that it wants F-35s. The first time we made this request was 6 years ago. “We should get them. It should be easier to get them.” Gargash added that talks on the F-35 are not linked to the deal with Israel.
The UAE State Department also said in a statement Thursday that “we have been flying the more advanced model of the US-made F-16 for more than 15 years. For new threats and more sober opponents, the UAE will continue to upgrade and improve. our air safety capabilities. The F-35 has been part of these plans for more than six years. “
“With the signing of the new agreement and the added assurances it provides, we expect closer security cooperation between all three countries, including on air defense and systems,” the statement continued.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the Emirati military has received a classified briefing in recent weeks by administration officials about the F-35 fighter jet.
Reports of a possible arms deal surfaced on Tuesday when one of Israel’s leading newspapers claimed that there was a “secret clause” in Israel’s deal to normalize relations with the UAE – one that would allow the UAE billions of dollars for sale in US advanced military hardware, including drones, F-35 stealth fighters and other weapons.
The story caused hackles in Israel because of the potential threat to Israel’s military superiority in the region. Israel has long opposed the sale of strategic weapons systems to other countries in the Middle East, and under U.S. law, any arms sale must take into account Israel’s qualitative military edge.
It is unclear if there is a direct correlation between the discussions about the possible arms sale and the agreement reached last week, but Trump administration officials have indicated that the agreement paved the way for these discussions.
Kushner was directly involved in discussions with the Emirates and the Israelis in the run-up to the agreement last week, he told reporters.
The National Security Council did not respond to a request for comment.
Any sale with the F-35 would require serious scrutiny by Congress, two congressional assistants said. But relevant committees in Congress are not reporting an arms sale to UAE involving F-35s and there is no unofficial review underway, the assistants said. There is frustration among members of both parties over the lack of communication from the administration about these talks, the aides added.
A Democratic first-aide told CNN that Congress would “almost certainly” try to block a sale of F-35s to the UAE with a resolution of disapproval if the Trump administration ignores Israel’s objections and moves forward with the deal.
“F-35s are really another level of technology that threatens Israel’s qualitative military edge … so it’s a big deal,” the aide added.
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustained, Ellen Lord, all questions about the F-35 and UAE referred to the State Department when asked about the issue on Thursday.
The State Department’s office dealing with arms sales has not been formally informed of an application for the purchase from the Emirates, which is required to trigger a formal appraisal process, state Department officials told CNN.
Arm sales take years to execute, especially those involving such advanced defense systems.
Earlier this month, a group of Trump administration national security officials visited the UAE. Discussions focused on the UAE relationship with China, said a source familiar with the trip. It is unclear if there were also sideline discussions about the possible arms sale.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Tuesday that Israel had repeatedly raised concerns about the possibility of advanced arms sales to “any country in the Middle East” in the weeks before the normalization abatement was announced. Trump announced that agreement, calling it an “important step toward building a more peaceful, secure and prosperous Middle East.”
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