Kuwait emir heads to Washington for talks with Trump

The leaders are set to discuss security and trade in a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, a White House statement said.

The Gulf crisis is also likely to be a key topic of discussion between the two leaders.

Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah has played a pivotal role attempting to mediate to resolve the blockade of Qatar by three Gulf countries.

However, the diplomatic efforts led by Kuwait to defuse the crisis have failed due to the Saudi-led bloc's intransigence.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and other allies severed ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing Doha of backing terrorism.

Doha has categorically denied the accusations, adding that the dispute is an attack on its sovereignty and punishment for pursuing an independent foreign policy.

While Trump openly sided with Saudi Arabia and the UAE when the spat began, he has since pushed for a resolution to the crisis in order to maintain a united front in the region against Iran.

In July, the US announced it was looking to hold a summit with all the parties in autumn.

"We want to build to a point where there will be a meeting of all of the heads of state ... it might be September or it might be October", Ryan Gliha, US charge d'affaires to Qatar, said.

It has been more than a year since Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and its allies cut ties with Qatar, sparking the biggest diplomatic crisis to hit the Gulf in years.