The chairman of the powerful US Senate Foreign Relations Committee threatened to freeze arms sales and security cooperation with Saudi Arabia over its support for Russia. Sen. Bob Menendez accused the Saudis of helping to underwrite the Russian war on Ukraine in the wake of last week’s announcement that OPEC+ would cut oil production.
“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 Monday in a statement. “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.”
The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, review all major international arms agreements, and their approval is needed for their implementation.
Meanwhile, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was scheduled to visit Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday. They are set to discuss “the friendly relations between the UAE and Russia along with a number of regional and international issues and developments of common interest,” according to the UAE state news agency WAM.