US is staying out of growing dispute between Canada and Saudi Arabia, at least publicly
Senior US official says Trump administration is privately trying to coax Saudis to ease their response to Ottawa’s statement of support for activists
The Trump administration is privately trying to coax Saudi Arabia to dial back hostilities with Canada even as the US maintains a hands-off public approach to the escalating dispute between the two key allies, a senior US official said on Friday.
The US is now trying to do behind-the-scenes damage control after being caught off guard by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s move this week to expel the Canadian ambassador, freeze new trade deals and cancel direct flights to Toronto on Saudi Arabia’s state airline, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
US officials believe Prince Mohammed thinks he has license from the US to confront Canada, exploiting perceived tension between Washington and Ottawa over trade that emerged at the end of a Group of Seven summit in June.
At the same time, President Donald Trump and his top advisers – especially his son-in-law, Jared Kushner – have been cultivating closer ties to the crown prince; Kushner is said to want Saudi Arabia, a key supplier of oil, to play a central role in an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.
The Trump administration has maintained a laissez-faire approach to the Canada-Saudi row, refusing to intervene publicly in a crisis that has already created a series of diplomatic headaches and, officials believe, could take some time to resolve.