US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
US National Security Advisor Jake SullivanREUTERS/Leah Millis

US President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, met on Sunday night with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid long-standing tensions between the White House and the kingdom, The Associated Press reported, citing the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

The state news report said only that the men reviewed "strategic relations" in a meeting that included other American officials.

Later, Sullivan took part in a meeting with the crown prince and Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval and Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the national security adviser of the neighboring United Arab Emirates.

The White House did not immediately acknowledge the meeting or provide a readout about them. Saudi state media did not immediately publish either video or photographs of the meeting as well.

Sullivan announced last week that he would be visiting Saudi Arabia, saying he would “discuss new areas of cooperation between New Delhi and the Gulf, as well as the United States and the rest of the region.”

While Sullivan did not specifically mention at that time that he would be meeting the Crown Prince, known by his initials MBS, a source with knowledge of the plans confirmed such a meeting would take place.

Biden campaigned on a promise to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah" after the 2018 slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

US intelligence agencies believe the killing came at the Crown Prince's orders, though Riyadh denies it. However, Biden did make a trip to the kingdom last July and met the Crown Prince.

One issue that could come up in Sullivan’s meeting in Saudi Arabia is the issue of Saudi-Israeli normalization, as Sullivan told a Washington think tank last week that the US is still working towards a goal of a deal normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Israel has been for years rumored to have behind-the-scenes ties with Saudi Arabia, but the Saudis have vehemently denied those rumors.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear that his goal is to achieve a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia that would “effectively end the Arab-Israeli conflict.”

However, Saudi officials have repeatedly said that a Palestinian state with eastern Jerusalem as its capital is a prerequisite for Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel.