KNews.id- Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), and the leader of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, reportedly rejected a call from United States President Joe Biden as war continues in Ukraine, Tuesday (8/3). ).
“There was some hope from the phone call, but it didn’t happen,” one US official told the Wall Street Journal, according to The Guardian.The official later said, “That’s part of turning on the (Saudi oil) tap.
“Previously, on February 9, Biden had a chance to speak with MBS’s father, King Salman. However, last week amid the turmoil still raging in Ukraine, MbS and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed received a phone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to a number of officials, Washington’s relations with the two Gulf countries were strained due to the Biden administration’s lack of support for the conflict in Yemen. In addition, diplomatic relations between the three countries are getting more complicated because of the unfinished negotiations on reviving the Iran nuclear deal.
Saudi officials are also said to be seeking impunity for MbS, who has received multiple demands from the United States. This is, one of them, the incident of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
The White House has so far looked to countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela for talks about increasing oil production amid the Ukraine crisis. Biden said a ban on Russian oil imports, a major escalation and a number of sanctions would lead to a spike in oil prices for Americans.
Meanwhile, in early February, Saudi officials rejected calls to pump more oil. According to a Huffington Post report, they said they would stick to the production agreement signed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). One of the members of this alliance is Russia.
The ban on oil imports from Russia made the price of oil reach US$130 or around Rp. 1.8 million per barrel. This figure reached the highest level for 14 years. Until now, Ukraine is still under Russian attack after they decided to invade the former Soviet Union on February 24. Negotiations had taken place but did not reap significant results. The last meeting on Wednesday (9/3), Russia agreed to a temporary ceasefire in five cities to open up space for civilians to be evacuated.
The five cities include Kiev, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol. Explosions and battles continue to this day. According to provisional data from the Ukrainian government, the death toll from the invasion reached 2,000, while according to the United Nations, 474 civilians were killed. (AHM/cnn)
, and the leader of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan){kind=link}