Biden decides on Saudi visit as OPEC+ boosts oil production

By AAMER MADHANI and ELLEN KNICKMEYER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has decided to travel to Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks and is expected to meet with the kingdom’s once-shunned crown prince. It’s a visit that is coming together as OPEC+ announced Thursday it will pump more oil amid skyrocketing energy costs around the globe. Biden intends to make his first trip as president to the Saudi kingdom, likely later this month, though details have not been finalized. That’s according to a person familiar with the planning who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The White House praised Saudi Arabia for its role securing an OPEC+ pledge to pump more oil and Biden lauded the Saudis for agreeing to a cease-fire extension in its eight-year-old war with Yemen.