In response to Saudi Arabia's decision to reduce oil production in the midst of a global energy crisis brought on by Russia's war in Ukraine, a top Democratic senator has vowed to block all upcoming weapons sales to the country and urged the Biden administration to "immediately freeze all aspects" of U.S. cooperation with the kingdom.
The message comes amid the West's outrage at OPEC+ for reducing its oil output, a move that the U.S. and other allied governments saw as a gift to Moscow as it suffers significant losses on the battlefield in Ukraine. The message was delivered by Senate Foreign Relations Chair Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who has the power to veto foreign arms sales.
Last week, Riyadh, Moscow, and other major oil producers agreed to a significant reduction in output in order to raise crude prices. The United States criticized the agreement as a capitulation to Moscow that would harm the world economy.
"There simply is 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 of the map, or you support him," Bob Menendez, who chairs the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee said. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia chose the latter in a terrible decision driven by economic self-interest."
In light of the cartel's decision to reduce its oil production, which U.S. officials fear will only exacerbate the energy crisis in Europe and drive up gas prices at home, Menendez's broadside is the most recent request from top Democrats on Capitol Hill that the United States' relationship with Saudi Arabia is reviewed. In addition to Menendez's authority as head of the influential Foreign Relations Committee, the entire Congress can vote to obstruct specific arms transactions.
The 13-nation OPEC cartel, led by Saudi Arabia, and its 10 allies, led by Russia, have agreed to cut output by two million barrels per day starting in November, sparking concerns that oil prices may surge. Saudi Arabia said that OPEC's first priority was "to maintain a sustainable oil market," but Washington, which is driving attempts to isolate major energy producer Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, swiftly rebuked Saudi Arabia for its action.
"The United States must immediately freeze all aspects of our cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including any arms sales and security cooperation beyond what is absolutely necessary to defend US personnel and interests," Menendez said. "As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I will not green-light any cooperation with Riyadh until the kingdom reassesses its position with respect to the war in Ukraine. Enough is enough."
