Speaking after the meeting, Biden said he was doing “everything I can” to increase crude supplies and that he expected to succeed. “Saudi Arabia shares this sense of urgency, and based on our discussions today I expect we will see further steps in the coming weeks.” American consumers may feel the effects of his visit to the oil-rich kingdom at the gas station in “another two weeks,” Biden added. However, a Saudi official reiterated the kingdom’s position on production after the meeting, saying it would be decided based on demand. “Oil is not a political weapon, oil is not a reservoir,” said Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. “You can’t point it at someone and shoot. Oil is a commodity.” He said the kingdom has increased production at various times this year based on demand and will continue to reassess. “If you say we promised more oil it means we are seeing a shortage of oil,” he added. “If we see a shortage of oil, more oil will be produced.” Oil prices rose on Friday amid a lack of detail in statements by the US president, who did not elaborate on whether Saudi Arabia had agreed to boost output beyond already planned supply increases. International benchmark Brent traded up 2 percent at more than $101 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. oil benchmark, rose to $97.60 by late afternoon in New York. OPEC is increasing output as it gradually reverses deep supply cuts made when oil prices collapsed during the coronavirus pandemic and agreed last month to ramp up additional production in July and August. OPEC producers will meet again in early August, when Saudi Arabia and other members could discuss changes to production quotas. “The odds were always slim for a production increase from this trip,” said Bob McNally, a former adviser to the George W. Bush White House and head of Rapidan Energy Group. He said the government still expected the Saudis and Emiratis could raise output later this year if markets tighten. “But nothing is guaranteed.” Biden traveled to the kingdom with US gas prices near record highs despite earlier pledges to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” after the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, which the CIA concluded was ordered by Prince Mohammed . Aides had played down Biden’s chances of securing specific oil announcements during the trip, but signaled they expected the visit to pay off in the future. The US president arrived in Jeddah on Friday night and greeted Crown Prince Mohammed, the kingdom’s day-to-day ruler, with a fist bump that drew a scathing rebuke from Khashoggi’s fiancee, Khadija Genghis. Writing on Twitter, he imagined what Khashoggi would upload if he were able: “Hey @POTUS, is this the accountability you promised for my murder? The blood of MBS’s next victim is on your hands.” Biden said he had put Khashoggi’s death at the “top of the meeting” with Prince Mohammed and referred to other human rights concerns. Recounting the meeting, Biden said Prince Mohammed had claimed he was “not personally responsible” for the killing. “I showed what I thought it was,” he added. Saudi officials said the exchange of views on Khashoggi and human rights did not last long. Princess Reema bint Bandar, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, said Prince Mohammed told Biden “that the people who were personally responsible . . . have been tested”. While aides said the visit would aim to deepen Israel’s regional integration and boost the American presence in the region, Biden is particularly focused on boosting oil production to tame runaway energy prices due to Russia’s incursion into Ukraine. The president, who has been criticized by rights groups for the visit, had in recent weeks played down meetings with the Saudi leadership, saying he was attending a summit to encourage peace.

Asked to respond to Genghis’ comments, Biden said: “I didn’t come here to meet with the crown prince. I came here to meet. . . nine nations, to address the security and needs of the free world, especially the United States.” But in Riyadh, his presence is seen as a face and recognition that he needs to work with Prince Mohammed, who may rule the kingdom for decades. Biden was received at the airport in the Red Sea city of Jeddah by the regional governor, in what Saudi officials said was standard protocol for a visiting head of state. It was, however, a relatively muted reception compared to the reception given to former President Donald Trump in 2017. After about three hours of meetings, Biden announced that Saudi Arabia and Israel had agreed to transfer multinational peacekeeping forces stationed on two Red Sea islands – which Egypt had transferred to Saudi Arabia in 2017 – allowing Riyadh to take control of the ground. This was agreed in return for Riyadh’s move to open its skies to all flights to and from Israel, which was announced before Biden arrived in Jeddah.