Biden does not intend to meet with the Saudi crown prince at the G20 summit

WASHINGTON, Oct 16 – PRIME. US President Joe Biden does not plan to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 summit in Indonesia in November, US national security aide Jake Sullivan said.

“The (president) has no plans to meet the crown prince at the G20 summit,” the aide said on CNN Sunday. His statement came amid a sharp rise in tensions between the two countries, caused by the recent decision of the OPEC+ alliance to cut oil production.

The presenter also asked Sullivan if the United States intends to stop supplying Riyadh with its weapons. The issue was prompted by Biden’s decision and plans announced by Washington to revise the nature of relations with Saudi Arabia.

“The range of options being considered includes revising our approach to providing security assistance to Saudi Arabia. However, I will not get ahead of ourselves by anticipating the steps of our president,” the aide replied.

Last week, the countries participating in the OPEC + deal, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, decided to reduce oil production by two million barrels per day, starting in November, extending the deal until the end of 2023, which caused discontent of the US administration, which demanded an increase in oil production.

Earlier, the Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement that the OPEC + decision was dictated solely by economic considerations, and it was accepted by all countries participating in the deal, the agency rejected US accusations of supporting Russia with such a decision at a time when Western countries seek to reduce dependence on Russian energy resources.