Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Calls to ‘Freeze’ US-Saudi Cooperation

A 3D-printed oil pump jack is seen in front of the OPEC logo in this illustration picture, on April 14, 2020. Dado Ruvic/Reuters

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Monday called for the United States to “immediately freeze” all cooperation with Saudi Arabia after Russia’s air strikes in Ukraine.

Menendez cited the kingdom’s decision with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC+, cartel to cut oil output by 2 million barrels per day as supporting President Vladimir Putin in the Russia-Ukraine war.

OPEC+ includes a group of significant oil-producing countries, including Saudi Arabia and Russia.

“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 U.S. personnel and interests," Menendez said in a statement.

Menendez added that as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he won’t approve any cooperation with Saudi Arabia until the kingdom “reassesses its position with respect to the war in Ukraine.”

“Enough is enough,” he said.

The Biden administration had for months tried to lobby Saudi Arabia to produce more oil, with President Joe Biden even visiting the kingdom in July.

Following the Oct. 5 OPEC+ resolution, the White House made known Biden’s disappointment with the decision, given that “the global economy is dealing with the continued negative impact of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.”

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) questions Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler as he testifies before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, on Capitol Hill, in Washington on Sept. 15, 2022. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Russian Air Strikes in Ukraine

This comes after Russia fired cruise missiles down on Ukrainian cities Monday in what Putin called an equivalent retaliatory response to the destruction of a strategically important bridge reaching 12 miles between Crimea and Russia.

Putin accuses Ukraine of the attack and deemed it a terrorist action on Russian soil, promising to “respond firmly and on a scale corresponding to the threats created against Russia, according to state-run media.

Menendez declared Russia’s response in Ukraine a “depraved and desperate escalation.” The senator noted his call to pause all cooperation with Saudi Arabia is part of his vow to “use all means at my disposal” to support Ukrainians and “starve Russia’s war machine.”

Black smoke billows from a fire on the Kerch bridge that links Crimea to Russia, after a truck exploded, near Kerch, on Oct. 8, 2022. AFP via Getty Images

Cars are seen on fire after Russian missile strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 10, 2022. Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

“That is why I also must speak out against the government of Saudi Arabia’s recent decision to help underwrite Putin’s war through the OPEC+ cartel,” Menendez said.

“There simply is no room to play both sides of this conflict—either you support the rest of the free world in trying to stop a war criminal from violently wiping an entire country off of the map, or you support him.”

The Democrat added that Saudi Arabia had chosen “the latter” in what he deemed a “terrible decision driven by economic self-interest.”

White House Unhappy With OPEC Decision

The White House was not happy with OPEC’s decision to cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day, which some analysts have said was a bid to prevent oil prices from decreasing further.

Oil prices lowered to around $90 on fears of an economic slowdown from about $120 per barrel during spring.

OPEC’s decision to reduce oil production puts pressure on the Biden administration, which has significantly dipped into the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) for several months, citing the Russia-Ukraine war.

The cut also signifies Biden’s failure to influence Saudi Arabia during a July visit to the kingdom to ask for increased oil production amid historically high U.S. gas prices.

A driver unloads raw crude oil from his tanker to process into gas at Marathon Refinery in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 24, 2022. George Frey/Getty Images

In response to OPEC’s decision, the Biden administration announced that it will release another 10 million barrels from the SPR “to protect American consumers and promote energy security.”

The SPR is typically held in order to support U.S. forces in the event of war. Former President Donald Trump has said he topped up the reserve during his administration.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) has previously said the Biden administration’s dependence on foreign oil supply, rather than boosting domestic output, means that OPEC’s decision will lead to U.S. drivers facing higher costs at the pump.

“OPEC is taking advantage of Pres. Biden’s reliance on foreign oil and slashing supply, which will drive up prices that Louisianians pay. It’s as simple and sad as that,” he said in a statement on Twitter.