Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin SalmanReuters

Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman flew from Saudi Arabia on Monday to visit US President Donald Trump, the Royal Court said in a statement reported by state news agency SPA.

The upcoming meeting will be the first between bin Salman and Trump since Trump's inauguration in January.

The two leaders are expected to discuss "reinforcing bilateral relations and review regional issues of mutual interest. These will likely include global energy prices and the ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen.

Though Saudi Arabia is the world's top oil exporter and buys the largest amount of American-made weapons, bin Salman is working to help make Saudi Arabia's economy less dependent on both oil and US investments.

Saudi-US relations have improved somewhat since Trump came into office promising to neutralize the growing Iranian nuclear threat. In a January call between bin Salman's father King Salman and Trump, both countries expressed interest in creating safe zones in Syria and Yemen.

The White House has not yet confirmed bin Salman's visit.