A senior White House official said that US President Joe Biden had begun to reassess his country’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, due to OPEC’s decision last week to reduce its oil production.
National Security spokesman John Kirby said in an interview with CNN that “Biden is dissatisfied with the situation, and he will work with Congress to consider what the relationship should be with Saudi Arabia now.”
Biden traveled in July /July to Saudi Arabia, and failed to persuade Riyadh to raise oil production, to meet the shortage in the global market, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On Monday, Bob Menandes, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for a freeze on cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including most arms sales, accusing Riyadh of helping to support the Russian war in Ukraine, following OPEC decided to reduce its oil production.
Kirby said Biden is dissatisfied with the Saudi position, and is “ready to work with Congress to determine The form that the relationship with Riyadh should be in. He added: I think he is ready to go into this issue immediately and without delay.
He noted that the issue was not only related to the war in Ukraine, but to “US national security interests”.
