US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Saudi Arabia, which supported the decision of the OPEC + countries to reduce oil production, acted not as an ally of Washington.
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“In this situation, no… However, we have many common interests with Saudi Arabia,” Blinken said, answering a question about whether Washington believes that Riyadh “acted as an ally” by supporting the recent decision of the OPEC+ countries.
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According to the head of American diplomacy, in a situation where the United States and other countries are striving to restore economic growth, it is “completely the wrong time” to reduce oil production.
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“They expressed concern about lower prices and could take such a decision if the situation developed in this direction. But there was no reason to make such a decision now,” the US Secretary of State emphasized.
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In early October, the countries participating in the OPEC + deal, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, decided to reduce oil production by 2 million barrels per day from November, extending the deal until the end of 2023, which caused dissatisfaction with the US administration, which demanded an increase in oil production.
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The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement stressing that the OPEC + decision was dictated solely by economic considerations, it was accepted by all countries participating in the deal, the agency rejected US accusations of supporting Russia with such a decision in a situation where Western countries seek to reduce dependence on Russian energy resources.
