US President Joe Biden intends to review his relationship with Saudi Arabia due to Riyadh’s agreement with Russia to reduce oil supply, going against Washington’s interests, according to the US State Department. this Tuesday (11).
“The president will review our bilateral relationship with the Saudis. He will review it with Congress and with countries around the world and take action that is in our best interest,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told a news conference.
Price criticized last week’s decision by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+), led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, to cut oil production by 2 million barrels a day – as a “mistake” and a “disappointment”. The US was asking for an increase in pumping to stop prices from rising.
The State Department spokesperson denounced that this measure will only serve “the short-term interests of Russia, which will benefit from the high oil prices” and will ease the sanctions that the West imposed on him for the invasion of Ukraine.
Price, however, avoided positioning himself on specific positions, such as that of the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Senate, Democrat Bob Menéndez, who defends the suspension of relations with Riyadh.
“There are members of Congress who have ideas on how to change the relationship to better serve the interests of the United States. We want to hear your proposals,” Price said, without going into details.
Despite Saudi Arabia’s decision, the spokesman denied that Biden’s trip to the Arab country in July was a “mistake.” ”.
On the occasion, the American president visited the Saudi city of Jeddah to ask for an increase in oil production, in a trip that earned him much criticism for his meeting with the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, whom he had promised to treat as an “outcast” because of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“It was not a mistake because, as we said, we did not address just one of our interests. Several interests were met”, explained Price.
