Biden To Act "Methodically" In Re-Evaluating Saudi Relationship Over Oil

A day after OPEC+ oil producers last week announced output cuts over US objections, Joe Biden had vowed to impose "consequences" on Saudi Arabia for siding with Russia in supporting the cuts.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that US President Joe Biden will act "systematically" in deciding how to respond to Saudi Arabia over oil production cuts, but options include changes to US security assistance.

Sullivan, speaking on CNN, said no changes were imminent in US-Saudi relations as Biden re-

evaluated.

“So the president will not act impulsively. He will act methodically and strategically and will take his time to consult with members of both parties, and also to allow Congress to come back so he can sit down with them personally and work through the options,” Mr. Sullivan said.

A day after OPEC+ oil producers announced production cuts last week despite US objections, Biden vowed to impose "consequences" on Saudi Arabia for standing with Russia in supporting the cuts. The OPEC+ move undermines Western countries' plans to put a cap on Russian oil export prices in response to Moscow's war in Ukraine.

US Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for a halt to most US arms sales to Saudi Arabia after the OPEC+ move.

Mr. Biden's options include "changes in our approach to security assistance to Saudi Arabia, but I will not get ahead of the president. What I will say is that nothing is imminent."

Sullivan said, "Adding that there is time for Biden to consult with Congress.

Sullivan said Biden had no plans to meet the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, at the November G20 leaders' summit in Indonesia.

Asked if Biden would view Russia's use of a small tactical nuclear weapon or its detonation in the Black Sea as less dangerous than a larger bomb, Sullivan said it was "dangerous" to make such distinctions, and the president would not.

"Using a nuclear weapon on the battlefield in Ukraine is using a nuclear weapon on the battlefield in Ukraine. We will not cut salami," Sullivan added.

That falls to NATO allies and other responsible countries, including China and India, he said.

"To send a clear and decisive message to Russia that it should not consider the use of nuclear weapons in this conflict."

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