CNN reported earlier this week that Biden and the crown prince plan to meet in late June as part of a broader Gulf Cooperation Council summit, which Saudi Arabia currently chairs.
Biden is expected to travel to Germany and Spain for the G7 and NATO summits, respectively, later this month.
Officials noted that two separate trips — one to Europe and one to the Middle East — would allow more time to plan and set a timeline and agenda.
Meeting Prince Mohammed in person would be the first time Biden has had direct contact with the de facto Saudi leader since taking office. Biden has so far opted to speak directly to King Salman, the crown prince’s father. The meeting would also be the culmination of months of diplomatic work by the Biden administration to restore the US-Saudi relationship, and would mark an about-face for Biden, who once proposed making Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over its human rights record. The US President has sharply criticized the Saudis’ human rights record, their war in Yemen and their government’s role in the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Biden on Friday defended the prospect of meeting Prince Mohammed.
“I’ve been busy working on how we can bring more stability and peace to the Middle East, and there’s a chance I’ll be meeting with both the Israelis and some Arab countries at this time — myself included.” expected would be Saudi Arabia would be included if I left,” said the President.
Two key agreements were struck on Thursday — OPEC’s announcement to increase oil production and the extension of a ceasefire in Yemen — that laid the groundwork for the meeting between Biden and the crown prince.
But even before the meeting was formally announced, it was under scrutiny, including by Khashoggi’s fiancé, Hatice Cengiz.
“President Biden’s decision to make MBS is terribly upsetting to me and to advocates of liberty and justice around the world. President Biden, if he meets MBS, he will have lost his moral compass and will have greatly increased my grief,” she said of the crown prince, including his initials, in a statement to CNN.
9/11 Families United, a group representing family members of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, wrote in a letter Thursday, urging Biden to address Saudi Arabia’s role in the attack if he does Prince Mohammed or other leaders should meet Riyadh.
On Saturday, the group said it was “delighted” that Biden’s expected meeting was postponed.
“We are pleased that President Biden is taking a step back and assessing his priorities for this trip to Saudi Arabia,” Terry Strada, the group’s national chair, said in a statement. “The 9/11 community looks forward to his engagement with us.”
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi and Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.