Saudi Crown Prince HRH Mohammed bin Salman fist bumps US President Joe Biden upon his arrival at Al Salman Palace, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 15, 2022. (Photo: Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court via Reuters)
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: US President Joe Biden gave a fist bump to Saudi Crown Prince HRH Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi state television showed on Friday, during a trip to Saudi Arabia that is being watched for body language and rhetoric as Washington seeks to reset relations.
The president’s aides suggested on Wednesday before he landed in Israel that Biden would avoid handshakes during his trip due to the rapidly spreading new coronavirus subvariant.
No Immediate Oil Boost
Jeddah hosts a larger gathering of Arab leaders on Saturday. Biden will discuss energy security with leaders of Gulf oil producers and hopes to see more action by OPEC+ to boost output, but there were unlikely to be any bilateral announcements from the talks, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters en route to Jeddah.
"We believe any further action taken to ensure that there is sufficient energy to protect the health of the global economy, it will be done in the context of OPEC+," said Sullivan. "We are hopeful that we will see additional actions by OPEC+ in coming weeks." The OPEC+ group that includes Russia meets next on August 3.
Biden will also encourage peace and press for a more integrated Middle East during his trip, an administration official said. Topics include strengthening a truce in Yemen, "balance" in energy markets and technological cooperation in 5G and 6G.
