British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met on Wednesday with oil-rich Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to lobby for higher production after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent markets into turmoil.
Johnson, one of the few Western leaders to visit Riyadh since the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, spoke with Prince Mohammed after talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed in the United Arab Emirates, another oil-rich Gulf state.
The UK leader is attempting to rein in oil prices, which soared to nearly $140 a barrel before dropping below $100, and help end the West's dependency on Russian oil following the invasion of Ukraine.
His visit coincides with fresh condemnation of Saudi Arabia's human rights record after 81 people were put to death in a mass execution on Saturday. Rights groups questioned whether they had received fair trials.
Also in the region, British-Iranians Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were released after years in detention in Iran on charges of plotting to overthrow the government and spying for Israel, respectively.
The families of both believe they were being held as political prisoners until the UK settled a $520 million debt for defence equipment dating back to the time of the shah of Iran.
Johnson met Prince Mohammed after discussing "the stability of the global oil markets" with Emirati royal Sheikh Mohammed, according to the UAE's official WAM news agency.
"The leaders welcomed the long-standing partnership between our two countries and discussed opportunities to increase collaboration between the UK and UAE on energy security, green technology, and trade," a Downing Street spokesperson said in London.
Before leaving for Riyadh, Johnson promised to raise human rights issues with Prince Mohammed, but he also stressed Britain's "very important relationship" with the oil-rich Gulf.
"It's not just a question of looking at the OPEC countries and what they can do to increase supply, though that is important," Johnson told British media.
"When we look at the dependency the West in particular has built up on Putin's hydrocarbons, on Putin's oil and gas, we can see what a mistake that was because he's been able to blackmail the West."
