Earlier, US President Donald Trump formally threatened to veto efforts by Congress to block his plans to sell weapons to the UAE.
According to Interfax-Ukraine, the US Senate on Wednesday rejected resolutions blocking the sale of weapons to the United Arab Emirates in the amount of $23 billion.
“According to the results of the vote, both resolutions designed to block arms sales to the UAE did not receive a simple majority. One vote was held with 46 voted in favor and 50 against, the second – with 47 voted for and 49 against”, – the message says.
The White House statement noted that the sales directly support US foreign policy and national security goals, “allowing the UAE to contain Iran’s growing aggressive behavior and threats” following its recent peace deal with Israel.
Senators Robert Menendez, Chris Murphy and Rand Paul introduced resolutions to block the sale. Lawmakers expressed concern that arms sales to the UAE could result in US technology being transferred to China and could also undermine Israel’s military advantage in the region.