The United States administration is considering options to respond, including in relations with Saudi Arabia, to the OPEC+ decision to cut oil production by 2 million bpd starting in November. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this Thursday at a press conference in Lima.
He was asked whether US officials are considering a major reassessment of relations with Saudi Arabia amid the OPEC+ decision. "In terms of the future relationship [with Saudi Arabia], we are looking at a number of options for responding. We are consulting closely with Congress [about the OPEC+ decision]. We will not do anything that would infringe on our interests. That is the first and foremost thing that we will be guided by. And we will take all these aspects into account and we will consult closely with all the stakeholders in deciding on the next steps," the head of the US diplomacy said. He did not answer the question of whether the United States would continue to supply arms to Saudi Arabia in this situation directly.
The secretary of state called the OPEC+ decision itself "disappointing and short-sighted, especially as the world economy faces" the consequences of the pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine. "We say all the time that supply [in the global energy market] has to match demand. We understand that clearly, and we're working on it," Blinken added. He said the US is taking action to "ensure there is enough supply to meet global energy demand."
On Wednesday, during the face-to-face meeting in Vienna states participating in the OPEC+ agreement agreed to cut oil production by 2 million bpd starting in November, and extended the deal through the end of 2023. It is assumed that Russia and Saudi Arabia will be able to reduce oil production by 526 thousand bpd each from the level of August, up to 10.478 million bpd. The total level of oil production in the association countries will be 41.856 mln bpd.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: MFA RF
Based on materials TASS