OPEC+ Nations Privately Told US They Disagreed With Production Cut Decision - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Some member states of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Plus (OPEC+) privately told the United States that they disagreed with a Saudi-backed decision to cut the group’s oil production starting in November, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Friday.

Last week, OPEC+ unanimously agreed to decrease oil production by two million barrels per day starting in November in response to uncertainty in global energy markets. The Biden administration condemned the supply cut as short-sighted amid rising energy prices in the US and Europe.

"Other OPEC nations communicated to us privately that they disagreed with the decision that was taken," Patel said when asked why Saudi Arabia is being criticized more than OPEC+ member states.

On Thursday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry denied that the OPEC+ decision was politically motivated. The US disagrees with Saudi claims that the move was economically necessary and provided alternative analysis to the contrary, White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby also said on Thursday.

The uncertainty in global energy markets is partially caused by sanctions imposed by the collective West on Russian fuel sources. The Biden administration is attempting to establish a global price cap coalition on Russian oil to stabilize supply while reducing Russia’s profits - a move that is undermined by OPEC+’s production cut, according to Kirby.

The Kremlin said it will not provide energy to countries that choose to join the price cap coalition.