Saudi defense chief pushes back on accusations kingdom is standing with Russia against Ukraine

by Julia Mueller - 10/16/22 3:17 PM ET

FILE – In this Aug. 29, 2019 file photo, Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman meets with Secretary of Defense Mark Esper at the Pentagon. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Saudi Arabia’s defense chief, Prince Khalid bin Salman, on Sunday said he was “astonished” by suggestions that the country is siding with Russia in its war against Ukraine, after the kingdom led a push to cut global oil production that will bolster Russia’s energy revenue.

“We are astonished by the accusations that the kingdom is standing with Russia in its war with Ukraine. It is telling that these false accusations did not come from the Ukrainian government,” Prince Khalid said on Twitter.

Saudi Arabia leads OPEC+, or the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies. The coalition of 13 member nations and 11 nonmembers, including Russia, recently announced a major cut in oil production, raising concerns about prices at the pump in the U.S.

The Biden administration and a number of lawmakers were outraged by the decision. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said shortly after the announcement that “it’s clear that OPEC+ is aligning with Russia.”

A number of Democrats have called for the U.S. to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia in response.

But the Saudi defense chief on Sunday said the nation is still aligned with Ukraine and that the OPEC+ decision was a “purely economic” move rather than a signal of allegiance to Russia.

“Iran is also a member of OPEC, does this mean that the Kingdom is standing with Iran as well?” Prince Khalid asked in another tweet. Iran and Saudi Arabia have no diplomatic relations and are historic rivals in the Muslim world.

The defense chief shared an update from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the pair had spoken to discuss Saudi support for Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” and the recent United Nations resolution to condemn Russia’s annexation of occupied Ukrainian territory.

“We agreed to interact in the release of prisoners of war. We agreed on the provision of macro-financial aid to Ukraine,” Zelensky said. Saudi Arabia mediated a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine earlier this year.