Biden calls; Saudi and UAE officials do not respond

The Wall Street Journal: Biden calls; Saudi and UAE officials do not respond
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White House efforts to coordinate telephone calls between Biden and senior officials from Saudi Arabia and the UAE have failed.
In recent weeks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE officials have responded to calls from US President Joe Biden, who is struggling with rising fuel prices.
The Wall Street Journal quoted officials in the Middle East and the United States as saying that Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan were not available for US requests for talks. The White House’s efforts to coordinate telephone calls between Biden and senior officials from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have failed, the report said.
“We expected a phone call, but it didn’t happen,” said a U.S. official. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs also says that Biden’s contact with Sheikh Mohammed could be postponed.
According to reports, the Biden government is seeking to increase oil resources in the market after the embargo on Russian oil and gas due to the invasion of Ukraine and the increase in oil prices to $ 130 per barrel.
Unlike former President Donald Trump, US President Joe Biden does not have warm relations with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and bilateral relations have cooled due to US policy towards the Middle East. These include the issue of a nuclear deal with Iran, the crisis in Yemen, and the removal of the Houthis from the list of US terrorist organizations. In addition, Biden took a relatively harsh stance on Saudi Arabia during the presidential campaign.
The Wall Street Journal has confirmed the strained relations between the two countries, quoting the UAE ambassador to the United States, Youssef Al-Qutaybah. “We are in the test bush today, but I believe we are coming out of it better,” he said.
The report adds that senior US officials, along with State Department and National Security Council officials, have traveled to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in recent weeks to keep them abreast of US expectations.
Biden’s last phone call to King Salman of Saudi Arabia was on February 9, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this telephone call, the King of Saudi Arabia and the President of the United States emphasized the strategic and economic relations between the two countries.
Axius had previously reported that Biden’s advisers were considering a possible trip to Saudi Arabia in the spring. Biden has not traveled to Saudi Arabia in more than a year since taking office.