Biden ends Saudi Arabia visit with no oil deal

President Joe Biden will conclude his visit to Saudi Arabia without striking a deal to boost oil supplies amid an international energy crunch and rising gas prices at home.

“I’m doing all I can to increase the supply for the United States of America, which I expect to happen,” Biden said on Friday, per the Washington Times. “The Saudis share that urgency and based on our discussions today, I expect we’ll see further steps in the coming weeks.”

The president spoke to reporters following a meeting with Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Back in Biden's own country, Americans are struggling to cope with an energy shortage as U.S. domestic energy production falls far short of demand and the price of gasoline continues to rise. Average national gas prices exceeded $5 per gallon for the first time in U.S. history in June.

The Times noted that the White House released a fact sheet highlighting a 50% increase in production for August an July, but added that the increase references an earlier announcement from OPEC+, an international bloc of oil producing nations which preceded Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia by a month.

Biden also addressed the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was assassinated in 2018 at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, but noted that the crown prince denied any involvement in his death.

While in Saudi Arabia, Biden also attracted criticism for his meeting with the crown prince, the country's de facto leader and the alleged mastermind behind Khashoggi's death. Footage showed the president jovially bump fists with bin Salman.