The Biden administration is discussing the possible lifting of its ban on US sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported on Monday.

“But any final decision is expected to hinge on whether Riyadh makes progress toward ending the war in neighboring Yemen,” the agency said, quoting four people familiar with the matter.

Senior Saudi officials pressed their US counterparts to scrap a policy of selling only defensive arms to its top Gulf partner in several meetings in Riyadh and Washington in recent months, three of the sources said ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit to the kingdom this week.

The internal US deliberations are informal and at an early stage, with no decision imminent, two sources said.

A US official told Reuters there were no discussions on offensive weapons under way with the Saudis “at this time.”

But as Biden prepares for a diplomatically sensitive trip, he has signaled that he is looking to reset strained relations with Saudi Arabia at a time when he wants increased Gulf oil supplies to substitute the Russian oil.

Source: Reuters