Joe Biden’s top aide appeared to interrupt Emmanuel Macron on June 27 as the French President was discussing oil output with his US counterpart at the Group of Seven meeting in Bavaria, Germany.
"I had a call with MbZ… He told me two things. I'm at a maximum, maximum (production capacity). Second, he told me...the Saudis can increase a little bit, 150 (thousands barrels per day) or a little but more. They don't have huge capacities at least before six months’ time," Macron was caught by Reuters TV as saying, in reference to his conversation with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.
With journalists standing just feet away, United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan wasted no time in stepping in and appearing to cut off Emmanuel Macron.
“Careful. Maybe we should just step inside … because of the cameras,” Sullivan said, motioning to journalists covering the G-7 summit.
According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are seen as the only two countries in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) which possessed the spare capacity to help increase global deliveries.
Incidentally, UAE's Energy Minister, Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, confirmed Macron's statement.
"In light of recent media reports, I would like to clarify that the UAE is producing near to our maximum production capacity based on its current OPEC+ production baseline," said the Energy Minister.
He clarified on Twitter that this baseline, stipulated in a deal between the OPEC cartel and its allies in effect until the end of the year, stood at 3.168 million barrels a day.
US President Joe Biden is expected to visit Saudi Arabia at the end of his July 13-16 Middle East trip. The Democrat’s trip to the oil-producing kingdom was prompted by urgency to tackle surging gas costs as the average US price topped $5 a gallon.
Skyrocketing oil prices, inflation at a 40-year high, and a dramatically plummeting approval rating have left the 79-year-old democratic POTUS worried that November midterms could potentially leaving the administration without their slim majority in the House and the Senate.
Hence, the Biden visit to Saudi Arabia next month, ostensibly to woo the oil-rich Arab states to help alleviate a spike in gas prices. Commonly attributed by the US President to Russia’s ongoing special operation to demilitarize Ukraine, in effect, rising energy and food costs along with other economic woes experienced by the US and EU are, in part, of their own making. Sanctions against Russia have largely backfired, while also triggering logistics disruptions to flows of agricultural imports and fuel.