By Yousef Saba, Gram Slattery, Pesha Magid and Nafisa EltahirRIYADH (Reuters) -President Donald Trump kicked off his trip to the Gulf on Tuesday with a surprise announcement that the United States will lift long-standing sanctions on Syria,

Saudi Arabia is of key diplomatic importance to the Trump White House, especially amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke during a U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum Tuesday after having touched down in Saudi Arabia aboard Air Force One on the first stop of four-day visit to the region, the first major overseas trip of his second term,

The US president gets a "lavender-carpet" reception on a whirlwind visit of Gulf countries mainly focused on shoring up investment.

Saudi investment summit as the White House announced a $600 billion investment from Saudi Arabia, including what it touted as the "largest defense sales agreement in history."In Saudi Arabia, the president held up the country as an example for the Middle East,

In a geopolitical chess game with billions at stake, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and Nvidia all have something to gain.

Although Trump recently attended the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, Saudi Arabia was originally intended to be his initial overseas destination, just like in his first term. It served as a gilded debut for a foreign policy focused on securing cash infusions for American businesses.

The wealthy and the powerful gathered in Saudi Arabia with the goal of becoming even more so. “They’re going to walk away with a lot of checks,” President Trump said.