JERSEY CITY – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement today on the future of the United States’ relationship with Saudi Arabia following the deadly attacks on cities across of Ukraine on Monday:
“I am horrified by Russia’s desperate crackdown on civilian infrastructure across Ukraine – including in Kyiv. I promise to use all means at my disposal to speed up support for the people of Ukraine and to starve the Russian war machine.
“That is why I must also speak out against the Saudi Arabian government’s recent decision to help underwrite Putin’s war through the OPEC+ cartel. There is no playing field for either side of this conflict – you either support the rest of the free world in trying to stop a war criminal from violently wiping an entire country off the map, or you support him. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia chose the latter in a terrible decision driven by economic self-interest.
“The United States must immediately freeze all aspects of our cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including any arms sales and security cooperation beyond what is absolutely necessary to protect US personnel and interests. As Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I will not greenlight any cooperation with Riyadh until the Kingdom re-evaluates its position on the war in Ukraine. That’s enough.”
