Boris is going to Saudi Arabia for talks to end West’s dependence on Russian oil

Boris Johnson has arrived in the United Arab Emirates for talks with the Gulf states which he hopes will end the West’s reliance on Russian oil.

European nations have been focusing on how to reduce their dependence following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Johnson argued it is necessary to strengthen ties with the oil rich Gulf states, who he called ‘key international partners’, in order to further sever ties with Moscow.

The PM will visit Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi this morning before travelling to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.

It is widely expected Mr Johnson will use the trip to persuade the Gulf states to increase their production of oil and gas.

This would allow the West to wean itself off Russian fuel and also help alleviate the cost of living crisis in the UK.

But the trip is controversial and the human rights records of both nations’ has been called into question.

Mr Johnson’s meeting with Prince Mohammed bin Salman comes just days after the killing of 81 men, in the kingdom’s largest mass execution in modern history.

The Saudi leader has also been implicated in the assassination of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Mr Johnson landed at Abu Dhabi airport at 4am UK time, where he was greeted by British Ambassador Patrick Moody and UAE presidential advisor Anwar Gargash.

In a statement ahead of setting off, the Prime Minister said: ‘The brutal and unprovoked assault president Putin has unleashed on Ukraine will have far-reaching consequences for the world, well beyond Europe’s borders.

‘The UK is building an international coalition to deal with the new reality we face. The world must wean itself off Russian hydrocarbons and starve Putin’s addiction to oil and gas.

‘Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are key international partners in that effort. We will work with them to ensure regional security, support the humanitarian relief effort and stabilise global energy markets for the longer term.’

Conservative MPs and human rights watchdogs have been among those calling for Johnson to question the nations on their track records.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman has largely been shunned by the West after US intelligence alleged he ordered the murder of Mr Khashoggi at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, something the Saudi ruler denies.

Mr Johnson himself described the killing of Mr Khashoggi as ‘barbaric act’ and suggested the Saudi state had ‘copied the playbook of Vladimir Putin’.

One person who has not shunned him however was the Russian president, with the prince and Mr Putin sharing a high-five and a laugh at a G20 summit in the month following the October 2018 killing.

Julian Lewis, a senior Conservative MP who chairs Parliament’s intelligence and security committee, called on the government to ensure that ‘in seeking to lessen our dependence upon one source of oil and gas, we do not end up creating a source dependency on another unreliable and sometimes hostile regime’.

Labour’s shadow climate secretary Ed Miliband said: ‘It is a sign of our vulnerability and energy insecurity as a country that the prime minister is going to Saudi Arabia to seek an increase in oil production, despite the appalling human rights record of the regime.

‘Once again it demonstrates that the best solution to the energy crisis we face is a green energy sprint at home so once and for all we end of our dependence on fossil fuels.’

Mr Johnson will miss Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday due to the trip and will be replaced by Justice Secretary Dominic Raab.

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