The Democratic senator from New Jersey called on the US to freeze cooperation with Saudi Arabia over the recent decision by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut oil production.
The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee condemned Russia over strikes that hit cities and vital infrastructure acrossUkraine. The strikes on Monday were the first time the Ukrainian capital had been hit in months.
"I will use all the means at my disposal to intensify support for the people of Ukraine and to starve Russia's war machine," said the senator.
Saudi Arabia, the leading member of the group, was excoriated by the senator. Russia is a member of the group of 23 oil exporting countries.
You either support the rest of the free world in trying to stop a war criminal from wiping off an entire country off the map, or you support him. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia made a terrible decision.
The war in Ukraine has caused a global energy crisis. Russia is a major supplier of oil and natural gas to the EU, but Western sanctions aim to cut off an important revenue stream. Russia still sells its energy to India and China.
The US tried to prevent Russia from gaining additional revenue from a spike in oil prices by trying to convince theOPEC+ not to cut oil production. The decision was slammed by the Biden Administration. The White House said last week that it was clear that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries was aligning with Russia.
The US must immediately freeze all aspects of its cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including any arms sales and security cooperation, beyond what is necessary to defend US personnel and interests, according to a statement by Senator Robert Menendez.
The New Jersey Democrat said he wouldn't allow Riyadh to work with him until the Kingdom reconsidered its stance on the war in Ukraine.
Relations between the US and Saudi Arabia have been rocky for a long time. A year ago, the Biden administration released a declassified intelligence report that implicated the Saudi crown prince in the murder of the journalist. At the time of his death, he was a columnist for the Washington Post.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle called for the US to rethink its relationship with Saudi Arabia after the killing of journalist and critic of the Saudi government. Donald Trump was the one who stood in the way of punishing the Saudis for their actions.
The president promised to make Saudi Arabia a pariah over the murder of the journalist. He has been criticized for his approach to relations with the kingdom. The administration continued arms sales to the kingdom even though Biden said he would end US support for the Saudi-led coalition. The president was criticized for his meeting with the Saudi prince. The Saudi ruler was unwilling to increase oil production.
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