Blinken plays down reports that Saudi Arabia and the UAE do not trust the Biden administration

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anthony Blinken On Wednesday, he played down the suggestion that the Biden administration has been ignored by the leading oil nations in the Middle East as the United States seeks to counter soaring oil prices amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“We are all talking on a regular basis,” the minister said. “I spent some time on the phone with my Emirati counterpart,” he continued. “I met regularly with my Saudi counterpart, including in Munich, just a few weeks ago. President Biden spoke with King Salman of Saudi Arabia last month in a discussion that outlined a very broad agenda.”

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Secretary of State Anthony Blinken holds a joint press conference with British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss, in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the State Department, Wednesday, March 9, 2022, in Washington.
(Jim Watson, pool via AP)

The question was raised after a report in the Wall Street Journal Wednesday morning that claimed leaders in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have turned down calls with Biden in recent weeks. The report also stated that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Emirati Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, although they refused to talk with Biden.

“There were some expectations of a phone call, but it didn’t happen,” a US official reportedly said of the planned discussion between Saudi Prince Mohammed and Biden. “It was part of turning on the faucet [of Saudi oil]. “

The United States and its NATO allies are looking to rally support for Ukraine as Russia continues its deadly invasion into a second week.

Biden on Tuesday announced a ban on imports of Russian oil, gas and coal in another effort to counter the “vicious war chosen by Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

The UK said it would phase out its dependence on Russian oil by the end of 2022 and the European Union said it would also make cuts to its imports of Russian oil – a move that made it more difficult for Europe to get 40% of the oil. Its oil needs are from Moscow while the United States receives approximately 3%.

At a joint news conference on Wednesday with Blinken, British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss urged other countries to “join our sanctions effort.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, Moscow, on February 14, 2022.
(Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

“One hundred and forty-one countries voted against Russian aggression,” she said. “We will end the strategic dependence on authoritarian regimes for our energy and other vital resources. We will intensify our work to build economic and security alliances around the world, including with India and the Gulf states to further isolate Russia.”

Gas prices hit a record high this week, and are expected to continue rising globally with renewed efforts to target the Russian economy through its biggest source of profit – oil production.

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But Blinken suggested on Wednesday that though reluctance By the Saudi-led Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+) to boost oil production last year amid a seven-year high, the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), may reconsider.

“I think there was only an announcement a little while ago – I’m not sure if it was announced yet – about UAE support for increased production when it comes to OPEC+,” Blinken said. “Which I think is important for stabilizing the global energy markets to make sure that there is still ample supply of energy around the world.”