The de facto leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have declined to arrange calls with US President Joe Biden in the past few weeks as the US and it allies have sought to contain a surge in energy prices.
According to the Wall Street Journal, citing Middle East and US officials, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE have been unavailable to Biden after US requests were made for discussions.
“There was some expectation of a phone call, but it didn’t happen,” a US official said of a plan for Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed and Biden to speak. “It was part of turning on the spigot” of Saudi Arabian oil.
Last week, OPEC+, which includes Russia, declined to increase oil production, despite Western entreaties.
However, reports of the frigid communications come as the Biden administration seeks to increase oil supply after on Tuesday formally banning Russian oil imports, pushing oil prices to US$130 a barrel, the highest in 14 years.
Relations between the US and Saudi Arabia have chilled during the Biden administration over US policy in the Gulf region.
Issues include the revival of the Iran nuclear deal, lack of US support for Saudi Arabian intervention in Yemen’s civil war and its refusal to add Houthis to its list of terrorist groups, US help with a Saudi Arabian civilian nuclear program, and legal immunity for Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed, who is facing lawsuits over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by a hit-team in Istanbul, Turkey, four years ago.
During Biden’s election campaign, he vowed to treat the kingdom as a “pariah” state, saying there is “very little social redeeming value in the present government in Saudi Arabia.”
Earlier this week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that there were no plans for Biden and Prince Mohammed to talk soon, and no plans for the president to travel to Riyadh.
Meanwhile, UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef al-Otaiba said that there were strained relations between the two countries.
“Today, we’re going through a stress test, but I am confident that we will get out of it and get to a better place,” al-Otaiba said.
The two Gulf nations are regarded as the only global suppliers with capacity to pump more oil to ease surging prices.
Senior officials with the US National Security Council and the US Department of State had reportedly travelled to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in the past few weeks to make direct US representations.
However, the Wall Street Journal reported that Biden on Feb. 9 had spoken with Saudi Arabian King Salman.
On the call they affirmed their countries’ strategic and economic partnership.
The Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that a call with Biden would be rescheduled.
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