‘No vacuum for China, Russia, Iran’ to fill in Middle East, says Biden at Arab summit
- The US is using a summit of Arab nations to lay out its Middle East strategy, meeting leaders to address rising energy prices and foster stability
- Biden said Washington would remain engaged in the region and not cede influence to other world powers
President Joe Biden was using a summit of Arab nations on Saturday to lay out his strategy for the Middle East as he closed the final leg of a four-day trip meant to bolster US relationships in a region bracing for confrontation with Iran.
The president spent the morning meeting individually with the leaders of Iraq, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), some of whom he had never sat down with.
He said Washington would remain fully engaged in the Middle East and would not cede influence to other world powers. “We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran,” Biden said during the summit in Jeddah, on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia.
Biden invited Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who became president of the UAE two months ago, to visit the White House this year, saying he looked forward “to another period of strong and growing cooperation” between their countries under the sheikh’s leadership.
The Gulf Cooperation Council summit is an opportunity for Biden to demonstrate his commitment to the region after spending most of his presidency focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s growing influence in Asia.
Hours before the conference began, the White House released satellite imagery indicating Russian officials have twice recently visited Iran to see weapons-capable drones it is looking to acquire for use in its war in Ukraine.
