
President Biden shared a fist bump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after arriving in the Gulf kingdom for a high-stakes visit.
Why it matters: Biden once vowed to make the kingdom a "pariah," and U.S.-Saudi relations have been strained over a number of issues, including the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
U.S. intelligence concluded MBS was responsible for Khashoggi's murder — an allegation Saudi Arabia denies.
State of play: Biden's visit to Saudi Arabia is aimed at recalibrating U.S. relations with the Gulf kingdom.
It will include a bilateral meeting with King Salman and MBS, as well as a summit with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.
King Salman and MBS did not come to welcome Biden at the Jeddah airport. The U.S. president was welcomed by the governor of Mecca region, as well as the Saudi ambassador to the U.S.