US terms OPEC+ decision on oil production ‘mistake’, says it has favoured Russia

The decision of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies to cut oil production is a mistake that has favoured the Russians, the White House has said.

“The decisions that OPEC+ made last week, we believe, sided with the Russians and were against the interests of the American people and the families around the world,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference on Tuesday.

“We believe that the decision is going to hurt and harm lower-income economies. It was misguided and it was a mistake and a short-sighted decision,” she said in response to a question.

The White House press secretary said President Joe Biden is going to re-evaluate his relationship with Saudi Arabia.

“This is something that he has talked about since the beginning of this administration. He wants to do it in a bipartisan way, which is the way it has been done for the last eight decades when we talk about our relationship with Saudi Arabia,” she said.

“So, he is going to do this in a methodical way, in a strategic way, and he is going to certainly get inputs from members of both parties,” the press secretary said, adding that more information on this would be shared later.