MOSCOW

Russia on Friday said the US should not tell Saudi Arabia what to do, amid reported differences over Riyadh's decision to cut oil production.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Saudi Arabia is a sovereign state, and "is capable of making its own decisions."

"Saudi Arabia is a sovereign state, a responsible state, and a very important player in the international energy markets. Of course, this sovereign state is capable of making decisions that concern its own economy. Hardly anyone, even the US, should lecture (Saudi Arabia) on how to be in this or that case," he told a press briefing in Moscow.

He was responding to claims by The Washington Post that after US President Joe Biden vowed to impose “consequences” on Saudi Arabia for slashing oil production last year, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman privately threatened to sever ties and retaliate economically, according to a classified US intelligence document.

To prop up prices, Riyadh on Sunday pledged to cut its oil output by 1 million barrels per day (bpd) in July.

Sanctions on Russian energy sector

Turning to sanctions against the Russian atomic energy sector, Peskov said it will continue developing despite ill intentions of the US and UK.

The Russian nuclear industry has competitive advantages and has proved its leading position, he said, adding that the nuclear industry is ready to benefit "those who are interested in cooperation."

As for "unfair competition," Peskov said Russia had to deal with it "more than once."

"Yes, this is what causes our concern. But we are aware that, unfortunately, a number of states do not shy away from anything in the course of competition in international markets," he said.

According to the Atlantic Declaration released on Thursday by the office of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the UK and US formed a new economic partnership, one of the goals of which is to squeeze Russia out of the global nuclear energy market.