Washington: White House national security spokesman John Kirby stated that President Joe Biden is re-evaluating the US relationship with Saudi Arabia after Opec announced last week that it would cut oil production.
Kirby added that Biden is willing to work with Congress on the future of Saudi relations “I think the president is very clear that this is a relationship that we need to continue to re-evaluate, that we need to be willing to revisit,” Kirby said in an interview. “And certainly in light of the Opec decision, I think that’s where he is.”
Bob Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the US Senate foreign relations committee, for a halt to cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including on the majority of arms sales, and claimed the country was funding the Russian invasion of Ukraine In response to Opec's announcement last week that it would reduce oil production.
Biden was disappointed by the Opec decision, Kirby said, and added “he’s willing to work with Congress to think through what that relationship ought to look like going forward”.
Kirby added, “and I think he’s going to be willing to start to have those conversations right away. I don’t think this is anything that’s going to have to wait or should wait, quite frankly, for much longer.” Further he stated that “The issue does not only concern the war in Ukraine but it is a matter of US national security interests.”
