- Senator Bob Menendez threatened with obstructing cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
- Menendez attacked the kingdom after an OPEC+ decision not to reduce oil production.
- He accused the Saudis, in effect, of fueling Russia’s war machine during Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez on Monday called upon the US “freeze”Saudi Arabia and OPEC+ have agreed to cooperate over the decision to reduce oil production in order to increase prices. This accuses the nation of supporting Russia’s war machine during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Menendez, the chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has condemned Russia. Strikes in Ukraine that have affected cities and the vital infrastructureKyiv. Monday’s strikes were the first in months to strike the Ukrainian capital. They also represented an important escalation in war.
Menendez declared that Russia’s “depraved” and “desperate” escalation against the civilian infrastructure in Ukraine was “horrific.” He also pledged to use all means available to “accelerate support for Ukraine’s people and to starve Russia’s war machine.”
Menendez then went on to criticize Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s most important member, and accuse it of helping “underwrite Putin’s war through OPEC+ cartel”. OPEC+ is a group made up of 23 oil-exporting nations, which includes Russia.
“There is simply no room to play both sides of this conflict — either you support the rest of the free world in trying to stop a war criminal from violently wiping off an entire country off the map, or you support him. Menendez stated that Saudi Arabia chose the former in an awful decision driven by economic selfinterest.
The global energy crisis has been exacerbated by Russia’s war on Ukraine. Russia is a major source of oil and natural gas for the EU. However, Western sanctions have been placed on Russia’s energy sector in an attempt to reduce an important revenue stream. Russia sells its energy to India and China, however.
The US attempted to persuade OPEC+ to not reduce oil production but failed. This was in an attempt to stop Russia from gaining additional revenues from a rise in oil prices. This decision was criticized by the Biden administration. Last week, White House spokesperson Karin Jean-Pierre stated that OPEC+ was aligning itself with Russia through today’s announcement.
Menendez said in his statement that the US must “immediately suspend all aspects of cooperation with Saudi Arabia including arms sales and security collaboration beyond what is essential to defend US personnel, interests and property.”
New Jersey Democrat, John Sullivan, stated that he would not “approve any cooperation with Riyadh” until the Kingdom reassesses its position on the war in Ukraine.
The relations between the US, Saudi Arabia and Iran have been in shaky shape for many years. This is mainly due to the 2018 brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Last year, the Biden administration released a declassified intelligence report that explicitly implicated Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — often referred to as MBS — in Khashoggi’s killing. Khashoggi was a Saudi national and a Washington Post columnist when he died.
The US faced a backlash after Khashoggi’s murder, with lawmakers from both parties calling for a reassessment of relations with Saudi Arabia. Trump, the former president, stood in the way to sanction the Saudis over Khashoggi’s death.
Joe Biden, the President of the United States, pledged to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah”, over Khashoggi’s murder. However, as president, he has been criticised for his treatment of the kingdom. Biden stated that he would work to end US support of the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemeni insurgents, but his administration continued to sell arms to the kingdom. The president was the object of MBS meeting in July was particularly criticized. Biden attempted to convince the Saudi ruler that oil production should increase, but was unsuccessful.
