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President Biden wants to take a closer look at the longstanding U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia after after OPEC+ decided to cut oil production last week, a decision the White House said was not warranted and mainly serves to help Russia.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Tuesday that Saudi Arabia played a key role in that production cut. He said Biden wants to discuss the future of U.S.-Saudi Arabia relations with Congress, and whether those ties still serve the national interest.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries announced it would reduce production by 2 million barrels per day, a move seen by some as a method of punishing the United States and its continued support of Ukraine.
Kirby said the cartel’s production cut was not warranted by market conditions and called it « a short-sighted decision that benefitted Russia, at a time when nobody — in any capacity — should be trying to benefit Vladimir Putin. »
Riyadh maintain that the decision was prompted by market conditions — and denied it was meant to target Washington.
