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US, Saudi Arabia clash in public over oil production cut, Russia

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="The Saudi-led OPEC+ cartel – which includes Russia – angered the White House by petroleum cutting production, raising fears that oil prices would soar. EPA-EFE/file" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/life/10/06/20221006-khurais-oil-field-epa-efe.jpg"/><figcaption>The Saudi-led OPEC+ cartel – which includes Russia – angered the White House by petroleum cutting production, raising fears that oil prices would soar. <em>EPA-EFE/file</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>The United States and Saudi Arabia traded barbs Thursday over last week&#x27;s OPEC+ oil output cut, with Washington accusing Riyadh of knowingly boosting Russian interests.</p><p>The Saudi-led OPEC+ cartel – which includes Russia – angered the White House by cutting production by two million barrels a day from November, raising fears that oil prices would soar.</p><p>Saudi Arabia issued a rare press release on Thursday, shrugging off accusations it was &quot;taking sides in international conflicts&quot; as Russia&#x27;s war in Ukraine rages on.</p><p>But US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby quickly fired back, saying that Saudi Arabia knew the cut &quot;would increase Russian revenues and blunt the effectiveness of sanctions. That is the wrong direction.&quot;</p><p>The United States has vowed to re-evaluate ties with the oil-rich kingdom since the cut, which was widely seen as a diplomatic slap in the face for Washington.</p><p>President Joe Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia in July and met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – with the two greeting each other with a high-profile fist bump.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/10/13/22/oil-the-us-or-russia-whose-side-is-saudi-arabia-really-on">Oil, the US or Russia: Whose side is Saudi Arabia really on?    </a></li></ul><p>Biden had previously vowed to make the country an international &quot;pariah&quot; following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.</p><p>&quot;The Saudi Foreign Ministry can try to spin or deflect, but the facts are simple. The world is rallying behind Ukraine in combatting Russian aggression,&quot; Kirby said in a unusually strong statement.</p><p>Other OPEC+ nations &quot;felt coerced to support Saudi’s direction,&quot; he added.</p><p>The oil cut comes at a sensitive moment for Biden as the Democratic Party faces tricky midterm elections in November with rising consumer prices a key concern for voters.</p><div><strong>- Oil funds key to Russian war -</strong></div><p>In its press release, Saudi Arabia defended itself against &quot;statements that are not based on facts and which are based on portraying the OPEC+ decision out of its economic context.&quot;</p><p>The kingdom insisted that decisions by OPEC+ were taken &quot;purely on economic considerations.&quot; </p><p>And it suggested that Biden&#x27;s administration had asked the cartel to delay any cuts until after the US midterm voting.</p><p>Biden has promised &quot;consequences&quot; for Saudi Arabia, but given no further details.</p><p>President Vladimir Putin relies on high oil prices to fund Russia&#x27;s floundering invasion of Ukraine, and some US lawmakers have called for Washington to halt all cooperation with Riyadh.</p><p>&quot;We wanted to know that when the chips were down, when there was a global crisis, that the Saudis would choose us,&quot; said Senator Bob Menendez this week. &quot;Well, they didn&#x27;t. They chose Russia.&quot;</p><p>The partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia was sealed after World War II, providing the kingdom with military protection in exchange for American access to oil. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/10/12/22/biden-to-re-evaluate-saudi-ties-after-opec-snub">Biden to &#x27;re-evaluate&#x27; Saudi ties after OPEC snub</a></li></ul><p>Fraught with crises, the relationship was revived by Biden&#x27;s predecessor Donald Trump, whose single term saw Riyadh accounting for a quarter of US arms exports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/10/07/22/opec-a-thriving-saudi-russian-marriage-of-convenience">OPEC+: a thriving Saudi-Russian marriage of convenience</a></li></ul><p>Continuing the rapprochement, the United States announced in August that Saudi Arabia would buy 300 Patriot MIM-104E missile systems, which can be used to bring down at long-range incoming ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as attacking aircraft.</p><p>Saudi Arabia, which backs the Yemeni government, has faced rocket threats from Yemen&#x27;s Huthi rebels, who have been supplied with Iranian equipment and technology.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2281914" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The Saudi-led OPEC+ cartel – which includes Russia – angered the White House by cutting production, raising fears that oil prices would soar.