Intensive preliminary talks between Washington and Riyadh.
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Persistently high energy prices, tensions with Iran and the war in Ukraine: reasons enough for a thaw between the US and Saudi Arabia. According to a report by “Amwaj Media”, talks about improving relations between the two countries are in full swing. The biggest hurdle is Joe Biden’s oath in the 2020 election campaign that he would label the oil monarchy an international “pariah” due to the barbaric murder of regime critic Jamal Khashoggi by henchmen of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MbS) in October 2018 .
But now there are numerous sources from the region and the USA that indicate Biden’s specific travel plans. Allegedly, the US President wants to travel to Saudi Arabia at the end of June and meet MbS. Recently, his half-brother, Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud (KbS) visited Washington and then explained on Twitter that at a meeting with Secretary of State Tony Blinken, the “status of relations and ways to improve them were discussed”.
Washington’s wish list is long: in addition to increasing Saudi oil production, the Americans are pushing for further steps by the Saudis in relations with Israel. Riyadh has not yet joined the “Abraham Accords”, which Biden and Blinken are explicitly trying to strengthen. In addition, Washington wants to prevent a further deepening of Saudi-Chinese relations in the direction of strategic cooperation. The report does not reveal whether Riyadh wants to comply with all these demands and also take a stand against the Russians as aggressors in Ukraine. But Biden will not want to return from Riyadh empty-handed (Link).
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