President Joe Biden landed in Saudi Arabia on Friday to discuss energy supplies, human rights, and security cooperation as part of a mission to rebuild American ties to a nation he once vowed to “pariah” in the international arena, Reuters reports.
The president and his advisors decided not to isolate the kingdom, the top oil exporter in the world and a regional giant that has been bolstering connections with Russia and China, out of concerns for energy and security.
However, the U.S. national security advisor tempered hopes for a quick increase in oil supplies to assist lower high gas prices and lower the highest rate of inflation in the country in forty years.
The president and his staff will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, and Saudi officials in the palace after Biden and King Salman bin Abdulaziz conduct a bilateral discussion there, according to the White House.
On Saturday, Jeddah will play home to a larger meeting of Arab leaders.
Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor for the United States, told reporters as he was traveling to Jeddah from Israel that Biden will address energy security with the heads of Gulf oil producers and hoped to see greater action from OPEC+ to increase supply.
The next gathering of OPEC+, which includes Russia, is on August 3.
Body language and words will be extensively scrutinized during Biden’s delicate trip, which will test his capacity to mend fences with Saudi Arabia’s charismatic crown prince.
Despite the crown prince’s denials, U.S. intelligence assessed that MbS gave his direct approval to the death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
Sullivan emphasized that Biden wants to “recalibrate” rather than sever Washington’s relations with Saudi Arabia.
Biden’s handshake with the prince, the de facto ruler of the kingdom, is uncertain, according to White House experts. At a conference on Saturday in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, Biden will have conversations with a larger group of Arab leaders.
Biden will avoid personal contact, such as shaking hands, as a preventative measure against COVID-19, according to authorities before his Middle East visit. But the president ultimately shook hands with Israeli officials.
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