21 April 2022; MEMO: The White House has given up on asking Saudi Arabia to pump more oil after being repeatedly rebuffed by the Kingdom, The Wall Street Journal reports.
According to the report, the act from the US came with the latest sign of a growing rift between the two nations.
Last month, the US banned imports of Russian oil and gas after Russia invaded Ukraine, helping to send prices at the pump soaring. In turn, the US turned to Saudi Arabia to boost production, with the goal of driving down prices.
A senior US official told The Journal that the US, instead, started asking the Saudis not do anything that would hurt the West's efforts in Ukraine, the report says.
On the other hand, despite the tension between two countries, a Saudi official at the country's Washington Embassy said that the relationship between the two nations remains strong, cordial and respectful, the report added.
