Biden’s aide interrupts as Macron breaks bad news about oil crisis
President Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, stepped in Monday to interrupt French President Emmanuel Macron as he broke bad news to Biden — with journalists feet away — over attempts to trick Arab nations into produce more oil to drive down record gas prices.
“Careful. maybe we should just go in… because of the cameras,” Sullivan said, waving to journalists covering the G-7 summit in Germany.
It’s unclear if Sullivan was concerned about any messages leaked to journalists, but some of Macron’s words were clearly heard.
“I had a call to MBZ,” Macron told Biden, referring to UAE leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. “He told me two things. I’m at the max, max [production capacity]. That’s what he claims… And then he said [the] Saudis can increase by 150 [thousands barrels per day]. Maybe a little bit more but they don’t have big capacities six months ago.”
The news means that Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia next month may not persuade oil-rich Arab states to ease a gas-price hike linked to Russia’s four-month-old invasion of Ukraine. Soaring gasoline prices of around $5 a gallon are depressing public support for Biden’s performance while contributing to the worst inflation since 1981.
Reuters reported that “Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were seen as the only two countries in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and the World’s producer group that still have some spare capacity and could help boost global supplies.”
Other topics at the G-7 conference included NATO’s efforts to arm the Ukrainian government to withstand the four-month-old Russian invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with leaders of the G-7 countries on Monday, and Sullivan told reporters there were plans to supply advanced weapons.
“We intend to finalize a package that includes advanced medium and long-range air defense capabilities for the Ukrainians, as well as some other much-needed items, including ammunition for artillery and counter-battery radar systems,” Sullivan said during a chatter.
The G-7 is a federation of economically powerful democracies and includes the US, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
https://nypost.com/2022/06/27/biden-aide-interrupts-as-macron-spills-bad-news-about-oil-crisis/ Biden’s aide interrupts as Macron breaks bad news about oil crisis
