The move temporarily freezes billions of dollars in arms sales inked during Trump’s last weeks in office. The State Department says it will conduct a routine review of the deals before canceling or going ahead with them.
After losing the election, Donald Trump approved a deal to sell 50 Lockheed-Martin F-35 stealth fighter jets to the UAE
The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that it had put a temporary hold on billions of dollars in arms sales to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia. A State Department representative called the move a “routine administrative action” noting that it was standard for incoming administrations to review large arms deals initiated by outgoing administrations.
The State Department said the temporary freeze would allow the Biden administration to ensure “US arms sales meet our strategic objectives of building stronger, interoperable and capable security partners.”
Among the sales that have been put on hold is a massive $23 billion (€19 billion) deal to supply the UAE with 50 Lockheed-Martin F-35 stealth fighter jets. The deal was made in the final days of the Trump presidency, after the November 6 election.