Biden Says He Has No Regrets On Saudi Arabia Visit After OPEC+ Announces Oil Cuts

On Thursday, President Biden said he had no regrets about his July visit to Saudi Arabia after OPEC+ announced Wednesday that it would be cutting oil production by 2 million barrels per day, the biggest cut since the pandemic began.

“What does the OPEC move say about your relationship with the Saudis?  Are there any regrets about that trip now?” a reporter asked.

“No.  The — the trip was not essentially for oil.  The trip was about the Middle East and about Israel and rationalization of positions,” Biden claimed, even though the was understood at the time to be an effort to reduce record-high gas prices.

“But it is a disappointment, and it says that there are problems,” Biden added.

In July, Biden visited Saudi Arabia as part of a diplomatic effort to discuss energy production and other matters. At the time, Biden notoriously greeted the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman with a fist bump, drawing backlash from those who pointed out his human rights violations. Following Biden’s visit, the price of oil rose in response to his failure to make a deal with OPEC+ and the resulting expectation that the group would cut oil production.

“The price of oil rose on Monday after the US president, Joe Biden, came away from talks in the Middle East without an agreement on raising supply,” The Guardian reported at the time. “Biden had hoped to secure a promise from Saudi Arabia to increase its output of oil, which could lead to an easing of global supply pressures.”