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Saudi Arabia ‘maturer guys’ in spat with U.S., energy minister says

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  • OPEC+ oil output cut led to U.S., Saudi spat
  • Saudi Arabia and U.S. “solid allies” – minister
  • Big Wall St turnout at flagship Saudi investment summit

RIYADH, Oct 25 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia decided to be the “maturer guys” in a spat with the United States over oil supplies, the kingdom’s energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Tuesday.

The decision by the OPEC+ oil producer group led by Saudi Arabia this month to cut oil output targets unleashed a war of words between the White House and Riyadh ahead of the kingdom’s Future Investment Initiative (FII) forum, which drew top U.S. business executives.

The two traditional allies’ relationship had already been strained by the Joe Biden administration’s stance on the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Yemen war, as well as Riyadh’s growing ties with China and Russia.

When asked at the FII forum how the energy relationship with the United States could be put back on track after the cuts and with the Dec. 5 deadline for the expected price-cap on Russian oil, the Saudi energy minister said: “I think we as Saudi Arabia decided to be the maturer guys and let the dice fall”.

“We keep hearing you ‘are with us or against us’, is there any room for ‘we are with the people of Saudi Arabia’?”

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih said earlier that Riyadh and Washington will get over their “unwarranted” spat, highlighting long-standing corporate and institutional ties.

“If you look at the relationship with the people side, the corporate side, the education system, you look at our institutions working together we are very close and we will get over this recent spat that I think was unwarranted,” he said.

While noting that Saudi Arabia and the United States were “solid allies” in the long term, he highlighted the kingdom was “very strong” with Asian partners including China, which is the biggest importer of Saudi hydrocarbons.

The OPEC+ cut has raised concerns in Washington about the possibility of higher gasoline prices ahead of the November U.S. midterm elections, with the Democrats trying to retain their control of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Biden pledged that “there will be consequences” for U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia after the OPEC+ move.

Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, the kingdom’s ambassador to Washington, said in a CNN interview that Saudi Arabia was not siding with Russia and engages with “everybody across the board”.

[1/3] Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud speaks at the Future Investment Initiative conference, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 25, 2022. REUTERS/ Ahmed Yosri

“And by the way, it’s okay to disagree. We’ve disagreed in the past, and we’ve agreed in the past, but the important thing is recognizing the value of this relationship,” she said.

She added that “a lot of people talk about reforming or reviewing the relationship” and said that was “a positive thing” as Saudi Arabia “is not the kingdom it was five years ago.”

FULL ATTENDENCE AT FII

Like previous years, the FII three-day forum that opened on Tuesday saw a big turnout from Wall Street, as well as other industries with strategic interests in Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter.

JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon, speaking at the gathering, voiced confidence that Saudi Arabia and the United States would safeguard their 75-year-old alliance.

“I can’t imagine any allies agreeing on everything and not having problems – they’ll work it through,” Dimon said. “I’m comfortable that folks on both sides are working through and that these countries will remain allies going forward, and hopefully help the world develop and grow properly.”

The FII is a showcase for the Saudi crown prince’s Vision 2030 development plan to wean the economy off oil by creating new industries that also generate jobs for millions of Saudis, and to lure foreign capital and talent.

No Biden administration officials were visible at the forum on Tuesday. Jared Kushner, a former senior aide to then-President Donald Trump who enjoyed good ties with Prince Mohammed, was featured as a front-row speaker.

The Saudi government invested $2 billion with a firm incorporated by Kushner after Trump left office.

FII organisers said this year’s edition attracted 7,000 delegates compared with 4,000 last year.

After its inaugural launch in 2017, the forum was marred by a Western boycott over Khashoggi’s killing by Saudi agents. It recovered the next year, attracting leaders and businesses with strategic interests in Saudi Arabia, after which the pandemic hit the world.

Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi, Hadeel Al Sayegh and Rachna Uppal in Riyadh and Nadine Awadalla, Maha El Dahan and Yousef Saba in Dubai; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous and Michael Geory; Editing by Louise Heavens, Mark Potter, Vinay Dwivedi, William Maclean

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Business

OPEC+ members line up to endorse output cut after U.S. coercion claim

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  • U.S. says more than one OPEC country coerced into cut
  • Iraq, Kuwait, other OPEC+ members stand by decision
  • Saudi defence minister says decision was purely economic

CAIRO Oct 16 (Reuters) – OPEC+ member states lined up on Sunday to endorse the steep production cut agreed this month after the White House, stepping up a war of words with Saudi Arabia, accused Riyadh of coercing some other nations into supporting the move.

The United States noted on Thursday that the cut would boost Russia’s foreign earnings and suggested it had been engineered for political reasons by Saudi Arabia, which on Sunday denied it was supporting Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz said the kingdom was working hard to support stability and balance in oil markets, including by establishing and maintaining the agreement of the OPEC+ alliance.

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The kingdom’s defence minister and King Salman’s son, Prince Khalid bin Salman, also said the Oct 5 decision to reduce output by 2 million barrels per day – taken despite oil markets being tight – was unanimous and based on economic factors.

His comments were backed by ministers of several OPEC+ member states including the United Arab Emirates.

The Gulf state’s energy minister Suhail al-Mazrouei wrote on Twitter: “I would like to clarify that the latest OPEC+ decision, which was unanimously approved, was a pure technical decision, with NO political intentions whatsoever.”

His comment followed a statement from Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO.

“There is complete consensus among OPEC+ countries that the best approach in dealing with the oil market conditions during the current period of uncertainty and lack of clarity is a pre-emptive approach that supports market stability and provides the guidance needed for the future,” SOMO said in a statement.

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation Chief Executive Officer Nawaf Saud al-Sabah also welcomed the decision by OPEC+ – which includes other major producers, notably Russia – and said the country was keen to maintain a balanced oil markets, state news agency KUNA reported.

Oman and Bahrain said in separate statements that OPEC had unanimously agreed on the reduction.

Algeria’s energy minister called the decision “historic” and he and OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais, visiting Algeria, expressed their full confidence in it, Algeria’s Ennahar TV reported.

Ghais later told a news conference that the organisation targeted a balance between supply and demand rather than a specific price.

Oil inventories in major economies are at lower levels than when OPEC has cut output in the past.

Some analysts have said recent volatility in crude markets could be remedied by a cut that would help attract investors to an underperforming market.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday that “more than one” OPEC member had felt coerced by Saudi Arabia into the vote, adding that the cut would also increase Russia’s revenues and blunt the effectiveness of sanctions imposed over its February invasion of Ukraine.

King Salman said in an address to the kingdom’s advisory Shura Council that the country was a mediator of peace and highlighted the crown prince’s initiative to release POWs from Russia last month, state news agency SPA reported.

Khalid bin Salman said on Sunday he was “astonished” by claims his country was “standing with Russia in its war with Ukraine.”

“It is telling that these false accusations did not come from the Ukrainian government,” he wrote on Twitter.

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Reporting by Moataz Mohamed, Yasmin Hussien, Maha El Dahan and Aziz El Yaakoubi; additional reporting by Nayera Abdallah and Ahmed Tolba; Editing by Louise Heavens, Will Dunham and Alexandra Hudson

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World

Saudi Arabia, United States clash over reason for OPEC+ oil cut

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  • Saudi Arabia rejects framing OPEC+ decision as political
  • Says it told U.S. a delay would be economically negative
  • Says decision was based on market balance, curbing volatility
  • White House says it presented analysis saying cuts would hurt

CAIRO, Oct 13 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia rejected as “not based on facts” criticism of an OPEC+ decision last week to cut its oil production target despite U.S. objections, and said on Thursday that Washington’s request to delay the cut by a month would have had negative economic consequences.

The White House pushed back against that on Thursday, saying it presented the Saudis with an analysis that showed the cuts could hurt the world economy, and alleging the Saudis pressured other OPEC members on a vote. Officials from both countries are expected to discuss the situation shortly.

The back-and-forth has added to what has already been a frosty period of relations for the two countries, who have had an energy-for-security alliance for decades.

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OPEC+, the producer group comprising the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) plus allies including Russia, last week announced a cut of 2 million barrels per day to its production target after weeks of lobbying by U.S. officials against such a move.

The move came even though fuel markets remain tight, with inventories in major economies at lower levels than when OPEC has cut output in the past.

The OPEC+ cut has raised concerns in Washington about the possibility of higher gasoline prices ahead of the November U.S. midterm elections, with the Democrats trying to retain their control of the House of Representatives and Senate.

U.S. President Joe Biden pledged earlier this week that “there will be consequences” for U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia after OPEC+’s move.

Asked on Thursday about the situation during a Los Angeles trip, Biden told reporters “We’re about to talk to them.”

The OPEC+ decision was adopted through consensus, took into account the balance of supply and demand and was aimed at curbing market volatility, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The Saudi foreign ministry statement referred to consultations with the United States prior to the Oct. 5 OPEC+ meeting in which it was asked to delay the cuts by a month.

“The Kingdom clarified through its continuous consultations with the U.S. administration that all economic analyses indicate that postponing the OPEC+ decision for a month, according to what has been suggested would have had negative economic consequences,” the Saudi foreign ministry statement said.

The United States accused Saudi Arabia of kowtowing to Moscow, which objects to a Western cap on the price of Russian oil in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

“We presented Saudi Arabia with analysis to show that there was no market basis to cut production targets, and that they could easily wait for the next OPEC meeting to see how things developed,” said White House spokesman Jack Kirby, in a statement, which added that other OPEC nations told the United States that they felt “coerced” to support the Saudi decision.

The Saudi foreign ministry statement, quoting an unnamed official, stressed the “purely economic context” of the oil cut. Oil demand has weakened worldwide, with OPEC, the U.S. Energy Department, and the International Energy Agency all lowering forecasts for 2023 demand this week.

However, the IEA on Thursday added that OPEC’s move could worsen demand, saying “higher oil prices may prove the tipping point for a global economy already on the brink of recession.”

The Saudi statement said the kingdom views its relationship with the United States as a “strategic one” and stressed the importance of mutual respect. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) issued a statement in support of Saudi Arabia’s comments praising the kingdom’s efforts to protect the market from volatility.

In research last week, Goldman Sachs said in the last 25 years OPEC has never cut production when inventories in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries – composed of 38 of the world’s richest economies – were so low. OECD stocks are currently 8% below their five-year average. However, they noted that OPEC reduced output during periods of weak demand.

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Reporting by Ahmad Elhamy, Moaz Abd-Alaziz and Maha El Dahan; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Tom Hogue, Jane Merriman and Marguerita Choy

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World

Biden re-evaluating U.S. relationship with Saudis after OPEC decision

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WASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden is launching a review of the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia after OPEC+ announced last week that it would cut oil production over U.S. objections, officials said on Tuesday.

The announcement came a day after powerful Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the United States must immediately freeze all aspects of U.S. cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including arms sales.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said a review will be forthcoming but gave no timeline for action or information on who would lead the re-evaluation. The United States will be watching the situation closely “over the coming weeks and months,” she said.

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OPEC+ announced plans for an oil production cut last week after weeks of lobbying against one by U.S. officials. The United States accused Saudi Arabia of kowtowing to Russia, which objects to a Western cap on the price of Russian oil spurred by the Ukraine invasion.

U.S. officials had been quietly trying to persuade its biggest Arab partner to nix the idea of a production cut, but Saudi Arabia’s de factor ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was not swayed.

Bin Salman and Biden had clashed during Biden’s visit to Jeddah in July over the death in 2018 of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a source familiar with the situation.

U.S. President Joe Biden walks to the Oval Office after landing at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 10, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

U.S. intelligence says the crown prince approved an operation to capture or kill Khashoggi, a Saudi insider-turned-critic, who was murdered and dismembered by Saudi agents inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.

The prince, son of King Salman, 86, has denied ordering the killing but acknowledged it took place “under my watch.” Biden said in July he told the prince he thought he was responsible.

John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, said Biden would work with Congress “to think through what that relationship ought to look like going forward.”

“And I think he’s going to be willing to start to have those conversations right away. I don’t think this is anything that’s going to have to wait or should wait, quite frankly, for much longer,” Kirby added.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price also said on Tuesday the Biden administration would not overlook Iran, a U.S. adversary and a bitter regional rival of Saudi Arabia, in the review. read more

Much of U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia have been made with Iran’s threat in the region in mind.

“There are security challenges, some of which emanate from Iran. Certainly, we won’t take our eye off the threat that Iran poses not only to the region, but in some ways beyond,” Price said.

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Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Mark Porter, Heather Timmons and Deepa Babington

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Business

OPEC+ oil output cut shows widening rift between Biden and Saudi royals

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WASHINGTON/LONDON, Oct 8 (Reuters) – The OPEC+ organization’s decision this week to cut oil production despite stiff U.S. opposition has further strained already tense relations between President Joe Biden’s White House and Saudi Arabia’s royal family, once one of Washington’s staunchest Middle East allies, according to interviews with about a dozen government officials and experts in Washington and the Gulf.

The White House pushed hard to prevent the OPEC output cut, these sources said. Biden hopes to keep U.S. gasoline prices from spiking again ahead of midterm elections in which his Democratic party is struggling to maintain control of the U.S. Congress. Washington also wants to limit Russia’s energy revenue during the Ukraine war.

The U.S. administration lobbied OPEC+ for weeks. In recent days, senior U.S. officials from energy, foreign policy and economic teams urged their foreign counterparts to vote against an output cut, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.

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Amos Hochstein, Biden’s top energy envoy, along with national security official Brett McGurk and the administration’s special envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking, traveled to Saudi Arabia last month to discuss energy issues, including the OPEC+ decision.

They failed to prevent an output cut, just as Biden did after his own July visit.

US officials “tried to position it as ‘us versus Russia,'” said one source briefed on the discussions, telling Saudi officials they needed to make a choice.

That argument failed, the source said, adding that the Saudis said that if the United States wanted more oil on the markets, it should start producing more of its own.

The United States is the world’s No. 1 oil producer and also its top consumer, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The Saudi government media office CIC did not respond to Reuters emailed requests for comment about the discussions.

“We are concerned first and foremost with the interests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and then the interests of the countries that trusted us and are members of OPEC and the OPEC + alliance,” Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz told Saudi TV Wednesday.

OPEC weighs its interests with “those of the world because we have an interest in supporting the growth of the global economy and providing energy supplies in the best way,” he said.

Washington’s handling of the Iran nuclear deal and withdrawal of support for a Saudi-led coalition’s offensive military operations in Yemen have upset Saudi officials, as have actions against Russia after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

A U.S. push for a price cap on Russian oil is causing uncertainty, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told Bloomberg TV after the OPEC cut, noting the “lack of details and the lack of clarity” about how it will be implemented.

A source briefed by Saudi officials said the kingdom views it as “a non-market price-control mechanism, that could be used by a cartel of consumers against producers.”

A Biden-directed sale of 180 million barrels of oil in March from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve put downward pressure on oil prices. In March, OPEC+ said it would stop using data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), a Western oil watchdog, due to Saudi-led concerns the United States had too much influence.

On Thursday, Biden called the Saudi decision “a disappointment”, adding Washington could take further action in the oil market.

“Look it’s clear that OPEC Plus is aligning with Russia,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday. She would not elaborate on how the output cut would affect U.S.-Saudi relations.
In the U.S. Congress, Biden’s Democrats called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Saudi Arabia and spoke about taking back weapons.

“I thought the whole point of selling arms to the Gulf States despite their human rights abuses, nonsensical Yemen War, working against US interests in Libya, Sudan etc, was that when an international crisis came, the Gulf could choose America over Russia/China,” Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, said on Twitter.

Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Adel Al-Jubeir, said in remarks to Fox News on Friday when asked about the U.S. criticism: “Saudi Arabia does not politicize oil or oil decisions.”

“With due respect, the reason you have high prices in the United States is because you have a refining shortage that has been in existence for more than 20 years,” he added.

CROWN PRINCE AND BIDEN

Weeks after Biden took office as president, Washington released a report tying the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The prince, son of King Salman, 86, has denied ordering the killing but acknowledged it took place “under my watch”.

The prince became prime minister last month and his lawyers have been arguing in a U.S. court that this makes him immune from prosecution in the Khashoggi death.

Biden’s trip to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in July for a Gulf summit was aimed at patching up relations, but he also levied harsh criticism of bin Salman over Khashoggi’s murder.

Ben Cahill, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the Saudis hope the production cuts will give OPEC+ control over oil prices and ensure enough oil revenue to protect their country from a recession.

“The macroeconomic risk is getting worse all the time, so they have to respond,” Cahill said. “They are aware that a cut will irritate Washington, but they are managing the market.”

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Reporting By Steve Holland, Timothy Gardner and Jarrett Renshaw in Washington; Dmitry Zhdannikov in London, Aziz El Yaakoubi in Riyadh, Ghaida Ghantous in Dubai and Ahmed Tolba in Cairo. Editing by Heather Timmons, David Gregorio and Jane Merriman

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Business

OPEC+ heads for deep supply cuts, clash with U.S.

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VIENNA/LONDON, Oct 5 (Reuters) – OPEC+ looks set for deep cuts to its oil output targets when it meets on Wednesday, curbing supply in an already tight market despite pressure from the United States and others to pump more.

The potential OPEC+ cut could spur a recovery in oil prices that have dropped to about $90 from $120 three months ago due to fears of a global economic recession, rising U.S. interest rates and a stronger dollar.

OPEC+, which includes Saudi Arabia and Russia, is working on cuts of 1-2 million barrels per day, sources told Reuters, with several sources saying cuts could be closer to 2 million.

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The United States is pushing OPEC not to proceed with the cuts arguing that fundamentals don’t support them, a source familiar with the matter said. read more

Sources said it remained unclear if cuts could include additional voluntary reductions by members such as Saudi Arabia or if cuts could include existing under-production by the group.

OPEC+ fell about 3.6 million bpd short of its output target in August.

WASHINGTON REACTION

“Higher oil prices, if driven by sizeable production cuts,

would likely irritate the Biden Administration ahead of U.S. mid-term elections,” Citi analysts said in a note.

“There could be further political reactions from the U.S., including additional releases of strategic stocks along with some wildcards including further fostering of a NOPEC bill,” Citi said, referring to a U.S. anti-trust bill against OPEC.

JP Morgan also said it expected Washington to put in place countermeasures by releasing more oil stocks.

Saudi Arabia and other members of OPEC+ – which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers including Russia – have said they seek to prevent volatility rather than to target a particular oil price. read more

Benchmark Brent crude traded flat at below $92 per barrel on Wednesday after rising on Tuesday.

The West has accused Russia of weaponising energy, creating a crisis in Europe that could trigger gas and power rationing this winter.

Moscow accuses the West of weaponising the dollar and financial systems such as SWIFT in retaliation for Russia sending troops into Ukraine in February. The West accuses Moscow of invading Ukraine while Russia calls it a special military operation.

Part of the reason Washington wants lower oil prices is to deprive Moscow of oil revenue while Saudi Arabia has not condemned Moscow’s actions.

Relations have been strained between the kingdom and the administration of Biden, who travelled to Riyadh this year but failed to secure any firm cooperation commitments on energy.

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Editing by David Gregorio and Jason Neely

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Business

OPEC+ to consider oil cut of over than 1 million barrels per day

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  • Cuts could include Saudi voluntary reduction
  • Largest cut since pandemic reduction
  • Oil fell due to rising Fed rates, weak economy

DUBAI, Oct 2 (Reuters) – OPEC+ will consider an oil output cut of more than a million barrels per day (bpd) next week, OPEC sources said on Sunday, in what would be the biggest move yet since the COVID-19 pandemic to address oil market weakness.

The meeting will take place on Oct. 5 against the backdrop of falling oil prices and months of severe market volatility which prompted top OPEC+ producer, Saudi Arabia, to say the group could cut production.

OPEC+, which combines OPEC countries and allies such as Russia, has refused to raise output to lower oil prices despite pressure from major consumers, including the United States, to help the global economy.

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Prices have nevertheless fallen sharply in the last month due to fears about the global economy and a rally in the U.S. dollar after the Federal Reserves raised rates.

A significant production cut is poised to anger the United States, which has been putting pressure on Saudi Arabia to continue pumping more to help oil prices soften further and reduce revenues for Russia as the West seeks to punish Moscow for sending troops to Ukraine.

The West accuses Russia of invading Ukraine, but the Kremlin calls it a special military operation.

Saudi Arabia has not condemned Moscow’s actions amid difficult relations with the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden.

Last week, a source familiar with the Russian thinking said Moscow would like to see OPEC+ cutting 1 million bpd or one percent of global supply.

That would be the biggest cut since 2020 when OPEC+ reduced output by a record 10 million bpd as demand crashed due to the COVID pandemic. The group spent the next two years unwinding those record cuts.

On Sunday, the sources said the cut could exceed 1 million bpd. One of the sources suggested cuts could also include a voluntary additional reduction of production by Saudi Arabia.

OPEC+ will meet in person in Vienna for the first time since March 2020.

Analysts and OPEC watchers such as UBS and JP Morgan have suggested in recent days a cut of around 1 million bpd was on the cards and could help arrest the price decline.

“$90 oil is non-negotiable for the OPEC+ leadership, hence they will act to safeguard this price floor,” said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

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Reporting by Maha El Dahan, Olesya Astakhova and Alex Lawler; Editing by Gareth Jones, Jan Harvey and Raissa Kasolowsky

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World

Russia, Ukraine announce major surprise prisoner swap

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KYIV/RIYADH, Sept 21 (Reuters) – Russia and Ukraine carried out an unexpected prisoner swap on Wednesday, the largest since the war began and involving almost 300 people, including 10 foreigners and the commanders who led a prolonged Ukrainian defence of Mariupol earlier this year.

The foreigners released included two Britons and a Moroccan who had been sentenced to death in June after being captured fighting for Ukraine. Also freed were three other Britons, two Americans, a Croatian, and a Swedish national.

The timing and magnitude of the swap came as a surprise, given Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced a partial troop mobilisation earlier in the day in an apparent escalation of the conflict that began in February. Pro-Russian separatists had also said last month that the Mariupol commanders would go on trial. read more

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President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the swap – which involved help from Turkey and Saudi Arabia – had been under preparation for quite a long time and involved intense haggling. Under the terms of the deal, 215 Ukrainians – most of whom were captured after the fall of Mariupol – were released.

In exchange, Ukraine sent back 55 Russians and pro-Moscow Ukrainians and Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of a banned pro-Russian party who was facing treason charges.

“This is clearly a victory for our country, for our entire society. And the main thing is that 215 families can see their loved ones safe and at home,” Zelenskiy said in a video address.

“We remember all our people and try to save every Ukrainian. This is the meaning of Ukraine, our essence, this is what distinguishes us from the enemy.”

Zelenskiy thanked Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for his help and said five senior Ukrainian commanders would remain in Turkey until the end of the war.

Kyiv had a long and difficult fight to secure the release of the five, he said.

Prisoners of war (five British citizens, one Moroccan, one Swede, one Croat, and two Americans) are seen in the tarmac after arriving, following successful mediation efforts by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, from Russia to King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 21, 2022. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS

They include Lieutenant Colonel Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov battalion that did much of the fighting, and his deputy, Svyatoslav Palamar. Also freed was Serhiy Volynsky, the commander of the 36th Marine Brigade.

The three men had helped lead a dogged weeks-long resistance from the bunkers and tunnels below Mariupol’s giant steel works before they and hundreds of Azov fighters surrendered in May to Russian-backed forces.

“We’re proud of what you’ve done for our nation, proud of each and every one of you,” Zelenskiy said in a video call with the five which was released by his office.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow about the deal and why it had freed men who Russian-backed separatists said would go on trial later this year.

Saudi Arabia brokered an arrangement whereby the 10 foreigners were flown to Saudi Arabia. The mediation involved Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has maintained close ties with Putin.

The freed prisoners included U.S. citizens Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, both from Alabama, who were captured in June while fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Also freed were Britons Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner and Moroccan Brahim Saadoun, who were all sentenced to death by a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

Large numbers of foreigners have travelled to Ukraine to fight since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion.

The head of the U.N. human rights mission in Ukraine said earlier this month that Russia was not allowing access to prisoners of war, adding that the U.N. had evidence that some had been subjected to torture and ill-treatment that could amount to war crimes. read more

Russia denies torture or other forms of maltreatment of POWs.

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Reporting by Valentyn Ogirenko in Kyiv, Aziz El Yaakoubi in Riyadh and David Ljunggren in Ottawa
Editing by Rosalba O’Brien

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World

Gulf states demand Netflix pull content deemed offensive

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Signage at the Netflix booth is seen on the convention floor at Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, U.S., July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo

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DUBAI, Sept 6 (Reuters) – Gulf Arab states have demanded that U.S. streaming giant Netflix (NFLX.O) remove content deemed offensive to “Islamic and societal values” in the region, Saudi Arabia’s media regulator said on Tuesday.

It did not specify the content, but mentioned that it included content aimed at children. Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya TV, in a programme discussing the issue, showed blurred out animation clips that appeared to show two girls embracing.

The Riyadh-based General Commission for Audiovisual Media statement said the content violated media regulations in the Gulf Cooperation Council, which groups Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait.

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If Netflix continued to broadcast the content then “necessary legal measures will be taken”, it said, without elaborating.

Netflix did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The UAE issued a similarly worded statement regarding Netflix content on Tuesday, saying it would follow up on what the platform broadcasts in coming days and “assess its commitment to broadcasting controls” in the country.

Same-sex relationships are criminalised in many Muslim-majority nations and films featuring such relationships have in the past been banned by regulators in those countries, while others with profanity or illicit drug use are sometimes censored.

The UAE and other Muslim states earlier this year banned Walt Disney-Pixar’s animated feature film “Lightyear” from screening in cinemas because it features characters in a same-sex relationship. read more

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Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi in Riyadh and Alexander Cornwell in Dubai; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien

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Business

OPEC+ weighs rollover against small production cut, sources say

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The logo of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is pictured at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, August 21, 2015. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader/File Photo

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  • OPEC+ meets on Monday to set policy
  • Iran nuclear deal could boost oil supply
  • Russia’s gas supplies to Europe cut further
  • Brent crude falls to $95 from $120 in June

LONDON, Sept 4 (Reuters) – OPEC+ is likely to keep oil output quotas unchanged for October at a meeting on Monday, six OPEC+ sources said, though some sources would not rule out a small production cut to bolster prices that have slid on fears of an economic slowdown.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia, known collectively as OPEC+, are expected to roll over existing policies, six OPEC+ sources said on Sunday and Monday.

However, three of the sources said the producer group could also discuss a small cut of 100,000 barrels per day (bpd).

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Monday’s OPEC+ meeting is set against a complex backdrop including a potential supply boost from Iranian crude returning to the market if Tehran is able to revive its 2015 nuclear deal with global powers.

Russia, meanwhile, has said it will stop supplying oil to countries that support the idea of capping the price of Russian energy supplies over the its military conflict in Ukraine.

Its gas deliveries in Europe, meanwhile, have been cut further, which is likely to spark more price spikes. read more

Brent crude oil has dropped to about $95 a barrel from $120 in June on fears of an economic slowdown and recession in the West.

Iran is expected to add 1 million barrels per day to supply or 1% of global demand if sanctions are eased, though the prospects for a nuclear deal looked less clear on Friday. read more

Last month, top OPEC producer Saudi Arabia flagged the possibility of output cuts to address what it sees as exaggerated oil price declines. read more

Signals from the physical market, however, suggest that supply remains tight and many OPEC states are producing below targets while fresh Western sanctions are threatening Russian exports.

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Additional reporting by Rowena Edwards and Olesya Astakhova
Writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov
Editing by David Goodman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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