WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden plans to hold a separate bilateral meeting with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, apart from meeting with his team and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to discuss energy security issues during his upcoming visit to the Middle East, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said on Sunday.
Biden will have a bilateral meeting with the Saudi king, with energy issues being among the most important on the agenda, Kirby said on air of Fox News.
Other issues on Biden's agenda will most likely be terrorism, climate change and the situation in Yemen, where hostilities continue.
The White House said in mid-June that Biden is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with the Saudi crown prince and King Salman's leadership team during a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Jeddah. The president has been criticized for planning to meet with the crown prince in light of his alleged role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.