[Salon] President Biden Praises ‘Courageous Leadership’ in Saudi Arabia over Yemen Truce; Plans June Visit

President Joe Biden praised Saudi Arabia’s “courageous leadership” on brokering and then leading the way to extend a U.N.-brokered ceasefire on Thursday between Yemen’s warring parties, according to reports. The comments come as President Biden reportedly is likely to visit the Kingdom this month.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., with Vice President Kamala K. Harris and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, delivers remarks to State Department employees, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on February 4, 2021. [State Department Photo by Freddie Everett]

“I welcome the announcement today of a continuation of the truce in the Yemen conflict. The last two months in Yemen, thanks to the truce brokered in April, have been among the most peaceful periods since this terrible war began seven years ago. Thousands of lives have been saved as fighting receded. For the first time in seven years, Yemenis are able to fly from Sana’a to destinations outside Yemen. We have also seen additional fuel ships moving through the port of Hudaydah, helping ease Yemen’s fuel crisis. The parties to the conflict have now extended this truce for another two months, and it’s important that we work from here to make it permanent,” President Biden said in a statement.

“This truce also would not have been possible without cooperative diplomacy from across the region,” Biden said. “Saudi Arabia demonstrated courageous leadership by taking initiatives early on to endorse and implement terms of the UN-led truce.”

Biden said that ending the war in Yemen has been a priority of his administration.

“I am grateful for the tireless work of my Special Envoy Tim Lenderking, and the UN’s Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg. Their work, however, is not finished. I urge all parties to move expeditiously towards a comprehensive and inclusive peace process. Our diplomacy will not rest until a permanent settlement is in place,” he said.

President Biden is likely to visit Saudi Arabia later this month as part of an international trip for NATO and Group of Seven meeting, as relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States warm in recent weeks.

People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg only that a Saudi Arabia trip was likely, without confirming a meeting with the crown prince.

The Financial Times reported Thursday that the nation has indicated to Western allies that it is prepared to increase oil supply, a key domestic issue for President Biden in the face of higher gas prices and rising inflation.