The chair of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee called for cooperation with Saudi Arabia to be “frozen” after the Kingdom challenged Washington’s request to increase oil production and instead agreed with other countries producers a part of it.
In a statement yesterday, committee chairman Bob Menendez stressed that “the United States must immediately freeze all aspects of our cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including any arms sales and security cooperation beyond what is it is absolutely necessary to defend American personnel and interests.
His statement came after the decision made last week by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC +), led by Saudi Arabia, to cut production and production of crude oil by an amount equivalent to about 2% of the world offer. This decrease in production, in the context of the current global energy crisis and shortage, is expected to drive diesel and gasoline prices even higher.
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However, according to Menéndez and the United States, that decision will also help Russia – another leading OPEC + member – in its current invasion of Ukraine, as Washington and other Western nations have imposed sanctions on Moscow and have held back its oil exports. The decision by Riyadh and the Organization, they insist, will only hinder support for Ukraine and encourage Russia.
“I will not give the green light to any cooperation with Riyadh until the Kingdom reconsiders its position on the war in Ukraine. Enough,” said Menéndez.
For its part, Saudi Arabia denied that it and the OPEC + member states agreed on the measure in support of Russia, and the Kingdom insisted that it had not been in contact with Moscow before or during the decision. The deal was apparently an attempt to ward off volatility in world oil markets.
