The de facto leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been refusing to call President Joe Biden in recent weeks as the United States tried to contain the surge in oil prices caused by Russia’s war with Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
Citing U.S. and Middle Eastern officials, the magazine reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan turned down requests to meet with Biden amid both countries’ dissatisfaction with U.S. policy in the region.
“There was some waiting for a phone call, but it didn’t happen,” a U.S. official told the magazine, referring to a scheduled discussion between the Saudi crown prince and Biden. “It was part of opening the tap” for Saudi oil.
However, on Feb. 9, Biden spoke with the crown prince’s father, King Salman, the Journal reported.
Officials said relations between the U.S. and the two Gulf states have escalated due to the Biden administration’s lack of support for the war in Yemen and its resumption of talks on a nuclear deal with Iran.
Saudi Arabian officials are also reportedly seeking legal immunity for the Saudi Crown Prince, who faces numerous lawsuits in the US, including over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The White House has turned to Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela for talks to increase oil production to offset the impact of the Ukrainian crisis on energy markets. Biden on Tuesday announced a ban on Russian oil imports, a major escalation in sanctions that will further push up prices for American consumers.
Saudi and Emirati officials earlier this month dismissed calls for oil production, saying they would stick to a production deal approved by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+), an alliance that includes Russia.
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and Sheikh Mohammed of the UAE last week engaged in telephone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.