Biden not to meet Saudi Crown Prince at G20 summit
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says that US President Joe Biden has "no plans" to meet the Saudi Crown Prince on the sidelines of Indonesia's G20 summit.
-
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (SFS)
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that US President Joe Biden had "no plans" to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) on the sidelines of the G20 summit coming up next month in Indonesia.
In an interview with CNN, Sullivan said that Biden "has no plans to meet with the crown prince at the G20 summit," adding that no changes were "imminent."
Furthermore, Biden will make his decision "methodically," according to Sullivan, in reassessing the US-Saudi Arabian relationship, although considerations include reductions to security support.
This comes at a time when Biden threatened Saudi Arabia with "consequences" after a coalition led by Riyadh agreed with Russia to cut output.
"And so the President isn't going act precipitously, he is going to act methodically, strategically and he's going to take his time to consult with members of both parties, and also to have an opportunity for Congress to return so that he can sit with them in person and work through the options," said Sullivan.
Earlier in October, the 13-nation OPEC+ and its 10 allies infuriated the White House by resolving to cut output by two million barrels per day beginning in November, fueling fears that oil prices may spike.
"I'm not going to get into what I'd consider and what I have in mind. But there will be -- there will be consequences," he told CNN.
Biden would not specify which choices were being evaluated, although the White House had previously stated that Biden was reassessing connections between allies.
"I think the president's been very clear that this is a relationship that we need to continue to re-evaluate, that we need to be willing to revisit," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told CNN, adding that "Certainly in light of the OPEC decision, I think that's where he is."
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir denied all allegations that OPEC+'s decision was directed at the US and stated that its aim was to stabilize the global market amid a slowing economy.
"With due respect, the reason you have high prices in the United States is because you have a refining shortage that has been in existence for more than 20 years. You haven't built refineries in decades," he said.
