Fred Fleitz to Newsmax: US, Saudi Relationship Downhill Since Biden's Campaign Mohammed bin Salman (Abaca Press/AP)
By Sandy Fitzgerald | Friday, 28 October 2022 08:27 AM EDT
The relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia is not only about energy, but it is a matter of "crucial security" that has been in trouble since President Joe Biden said during his 2020 campaign that he would make the nation a "pariah" on the world stage, Fred Fleitz, the vice-chair of the America First Policy Institute Center for American Security, told Newsmax.
"He shunned them repeatedly at the beginning of his administration, and the relationship went downhill since then," Fleitz, a Newsmax contributor and former chief of staff to the National Security Council, told Friday's "Wake Up America."
Fleitz pointed out The New York Times detailed how, when Biden visited Saudi Arabia over the summer, he thought he had reached a secret deal to increase oil production before the year's end.
"The Saudis not only didn't honor that deal, but they also decreased oil production just before the election," Fleitz said. "Let's be clear: They were sending a message to Joe Biden that they don't like the way they've been treated."
In comparison, former President Donald Trump, in comparison to Biden, knew the United States must have "good relationships with nations that may not have perfect human rights records," Fleitz added.
"Most presidents have recognized that," he said. "Joe Biden has worked in the foreign policy world for decades. One would think he understood that."
By shunning the Saudis, the United States also invited China and Russia to enter the region, and "they already have," Fleitz added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his foreign minister to Saudi Arabia "almost immediately" after Biden took office to take advantage of the wavering relationship between the United States and the Middle East nation, he pointed out.
"The Russians have struck a defense agreement and the Saudis even have started pricing some oil in Chinese currency," Fleitz said.
Meanwhile, Putin in a Thursday speech referred to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as "grandma," and Fleitz said that is because the Russian leader liked Trump, but also "likes to try to get the attention of the U.S. to try to throw us off balance."
The Russian leader is in trouble in Ukraine, he continued, and is "looking for a way out."
Fleitz said he would like to see negotiations underway in the ongoing war, adding he is concerned about Putin's claims of the potential use of nuclear weapons or a dirty bomb in Ukraine.
"There should be some kind of forum underway in Vienna with our allies and U.S. representatives talking about how to end the war, an exchange of POWS, and the reconstruction of Ukraine," Fleitz said. "While the Ukrainian army is on the march and making gains, I understand they don't want to back down and they don't want to make a deal with a leader who they think is a war criminal, but ultimately, I think it's going to come down to that."
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