The UAE has no intention of resuming negotiations with the United States regarding the F-35 fighter aircraft

A senior UAE government official stated on Saturday that the United Arab Emirates does not anticipate resuming negotiations with the United States regarding a multi-billion dollar contract for F-35 warplanes, regardless of the individual who is elected to the White House in November.

On Friday, Reuters reported that the UAE was preparing to reopen negotiations to purchase armed drones and F-35s in the event that Donald Trump is elected to a second term. This information was confirmed by multiple sources.

In the final days of his presidency in 2021, Trump had approved a deal that would have enabled the purchase to proceed. However, the UAE suspended negotiations at the end of the year due to its inability to reach an agreement with the Biden administration.

The UAE has been in pursuit of the most advanced fighter aircraft, which is equipped with stealth technology to prevent enemy detection, for an extended period of time.

The UAE would become the second Middle Eastern nation to operate F-35s, following Israel, if the U.S. were to sanction the transfer.

The UAE official stated on Saturday that the same factors that led to the suspension of negotiations in 2021 have not changed, and the government has no intention of resuming negotiations.

The senior UAE official stated in a statement to Reuters, “Our stance remains unaltered, and we do not foresee any discussions regarding the F-35 being reopened in the near future, regardless of the results of the upcoming US elections.”

“Technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions and cost/benefit analysis led to the reassessment at that time, and those considerations underpin our ongoing position.”

The official declined to provide an opinion regarding the feasibility of conducting additional negotiations to acquire armed drones.