(The Guardian) Biden open to re-evaluating relationship with Saudi Arabia: White House spokesman
President Joe Biden will consider working with Congress to change the United States’ relationship with Saudi Arabia amid outrage over its support for an oil production cut that was seen as partial to Russia, a White House spokesman said.
The comments from John Kirby, spokesman for the Biden administration’s national security council, largely reiterate what the president said last week, when the Opec+ bloc of oil producers, in which Saudi Arabia plays a leading role, announced they would reduce production by 2 million barrels per-day, even as countries struggle with energy prices that have spiked since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Asked in an interview with CNN about calls from Democrats in Congress to cut off weapons sales and security assistance to Riyadh over the decision, Kirby said Biden was willing to discuss those proposals with lawmakers. “This is a relationship that we need to continue to re-evaluate, that we need to be willing to revisit. And certainly, in light of the Opec decision, I think that’s where he is,” Kirby said.
President Joe Biden will consider working with Congress to change the United States’ relationship with Saudi Arabia amid outrage over its support for an oil production cut that was seen as partial to Russia, a White House spokesman said.
The comments from John Kirby, spokesman for the Biden administration’s national security council, largely reiterate what the president said last week, when the Opec+ bloc of oil producers, in which Saudi Arabia plays a leading role, announced they would reduce production by 2 million barrels per-day, even as countries struggle with energy prices that have spiked since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Asked in an interview with CNN about calls from Democrats in Congress to cut off weapons sales and security assistance to Riyadh over the decision, Kirby said Biden was willing to discuss those proposals with lawmakers. “This is a relationship that we need to continue to re-evaluate, that we need to be willing to revisit. And certainly, in light of the Opec decision, I think that’s where he is,” Kirby said.
