Boeing was supposed to deliver a replacement for Air Force One last year, but significant delays have cost the plane maker billions on the project. They have also drawn ire from the president, who told reporters aboard Air Force One in February that he was “not happy with Boeing” and may purchase a plane elsewhere.

Speaking on Air Force One just hours after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov curtly confirmed Putin would not attend, Trump turned prickly when talk turned to the Russian leader. The president had just left Qatar and was headed for the United Arab Emirates when he fielded questions on the presidential aircraft.

The two planes currently used as Air Force One have been flying for nearly four decades, and Trump is eager to replace them. During his first term, he displayed a model of a new jumbo jet in the Oval Office, complete with a revised paint scheme that echoed the red, white and dark blue design of his personal plane.

Any donation to this government is always done in full compliance with the law,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday.

The White House Correspondents Association says it is disturbed that no reporters from either The Associated Press, Bloomberg or Reuters were allowed on Air Force One to cover President Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East on Monday.

A $96 billion deal with Qatar Airways comes as Boeing struggles to deliver its Air Force One replacements and Trump seems poised to accept a Boeing jet from the Qatari royal family.