WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd May, 2022) CIA Director William Burns visited Saudi Arabia last month as part of an unannounced trip intended to rebuild US-Saudi relations, which have been deteriorating under the Biden administration, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
Burns visited the city of Jeddah in mid-April to meet with the Saudi leadership, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the report cited US and Saudi officials as saying.
The conversation was good and had a better tone than prior Biden administration engagements, the report cited a US official as saying regarding the meeting between Burns and bin Salman.
US-Saudi relations have deteriorated due to a number of issues, including the condemnation in 2019 of then presidential candidate Joe Biden of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which US intelligence has attributed to the Saudi leadership.
Tensions between the United States and Saudi Arabia intensified after Russia's launch of a special military operation in Ukraine. There is a risk of Saudi Arabia aligning itself more closely with US competitors such as Russia and China, or remaining neutral on key issues such as the conflict in Ukraine, the report said.
The Biden administration is seeking an individual with a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia whom they will listen to in future talks, the report added.
In April, Biden announced his intent to nominate Michael Ratney, a diplomat with experience in the middle East, as the next US ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
