The White House said on Tuesday that President Biden believed Saudi Arabia effectively backed Russia’s war objectives in Ukraine after the Riyadh-led OPEC+ alliance announced last week that it would cut oil production.
“I believe (Saudi Arabia) is definitely aligned with Russia with the decisions OPEC+ made last week,” White House spokeswoman Carine Jean-Pierre said at a news conference on Tuesday. “And now is not the time to cooperate with Russia, especially over this brutal and unprecedented war they have started in Ukraine.”
Jean-Pierre said President Biden was reassessing relations with Saudi Arabia, an important but complex ally in the Middle East, but did not provide a timeline for the review.
Biden visited the kingdom earlier this year after taking office vowing to realign ties with the United States, citing human rights issues in Saudi Arabia.
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OPEC+, which includes Russia and Saudi Arabia, announced last week that it would cut production by 2 million barrels a day. This will support oil prices that will allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to continue to pay for his eight-month invasion of Ukraine.
The production cuts also hurt U.S.-led efforts to make the war financially unsustainable for Russia, threaten a global economy already destabilized by the Ukraine conflict, and push gasoline prices down just before the U.S. midterm elections. is on the rise again, threatening to hurt Biden and the Democrats.
Biden and European leaders have called for more oil production to lower gas prices and punish Russia for aggression in Ukraine. Putin has been accused of using energy as a weapon against countries opposing Russian aggression.
John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the White House’s National Security Council, echoed Jean-Pierre’s comments on Tuesday, saying Biden “looks at this relationship again and it’s in our national security interests.” The time has come to confirm that it is useful for
Kirby said at the White House, “Not only will we take members of Congress’ concerns seriously, but we will seriously consider this relationship.
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The US arms sale to Riyadh serves as an important regional counterweight to Iran, which is rapidly transitioning to a nuclear power.
“There are now 70,000 Americans living in Saudi Arabia, not to mention all the other military forces across the region,” Kirby said. , being cooperative is not only in our interests, but also in the interests of our allies and partners in that region of the world.”
Still, the pressure on Mr. Biden is mounting. As a candidate for the White House, he vowed that the Saudi ruler would “pay the price” under his oversight.
But in July, amid rising prices around the world, Biden decided to visit Saudi Arabia. had shunned him as the murderer of
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US intelligence agencies have determined that the crown prince, often referred to by his initials MBS, likely authorized the killing of Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. MBS has denied any involvement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.