Sat 15 October 2022:
Following US criticism of the oil-rich monarchy, Saudi Arabia has pledged a 400 million dollar package of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, according to the official Saudi news agency SPA on Saturday.
Following a Friday phone call between the powerful Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the assistance was made public.
Zelenskyy congratulated the Crown Prince on being named the Kingdom’s prime minister last month and also thanked him for Riyadh’s vote at the UN General Assembly, condemning Russia’s purported annexation.
“Spoke to Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman. Thanked for supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity, resolution at the UN General Assembly,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a tweet.
The Crown Prince stressed that the Kingdom’s vote for the resolution emanates from its commitment to the deep rooted principles in the UN charter and international law, and its commitment to the respect of state sovereignty and the principles of good neighborliness, and resolving conflicts by peaceful means, SPA said.
Abdulaziz Alwasil, the Saudi representative to the UN, said the vote cast by the Kingdom was in line with its position of “upholding the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.”
The Ukrainian president said the two leaders agreed to work for the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russian forces.
BIDEN ‘REVIEWING’ TIES WITH SAUDI ARABIA AMID ANGER OVER OIL CUTS
According to the agency, the Saudi aid would reduce the suffering of Ukrainians in the more than seven-month-old conflict that has been going on since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
The Saudi heir apparent said his country is ready to continue mediation efforts and all steps helping in de-escalation, SPA added without elaborating.
Last month, Saudi Arabia said Mohammed had mediated between Russia and Ukraine for the release of 10 prisoners from different countries.
The kingdom supported a UN resolution earlier this week denouncing Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian provinces.
After the oil cartel led by Saudi Arabia, OPEC+, which also includes Russia, announced earlier this month that it would reduce its crude output by 2 million barrels per day, Saudi Arabia has come under harsh criticism from the US.
Saudi officials responded to the criticism by claiming that the decision to reduce production was solely economic.
Review of the bilateral relationship
Biden has said his administration would undertake a review of the bilateral relationship, as his senior officials have warned they are examining which consequences to impose.
The White House charged, on Thursday, that not only did Saudi officials lend their support to the measure, but worked behind the scenes as OPEC+’s Chair to pressure other member States to vote in favour of the proposal.
The decision to reduce oil production has spiked oil prices and is tantamount to “moral and military support” for Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby, maintained.
“The country that benefits the most from this 2 million barrel cut is Russia, because it does come down to supply and demand, and Russia obviously wants to keep the supply down so that demand drives the price up,” he said. “We’ve been, I think, very candid and very clear about our concerns over this short-sighted regrettable decision.”
Oil has remained a major lifeline for the Kremlin, as it presses its invasion of Ukraine in defiance of economic and diplomatic pressure from the US and its allies.
The cut also comes just one month before the US holds mid-term elections, with Democrats vulnerable to losing at least one chamber in Congress. Higher gas prices at a time of rampant US inflation are likely to undercut their electoral prospects.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:
TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent
FACEBOOK (CLICK HERE)
https://web.facebook.com/ipindependent
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
