Boris Johnson has defended his upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia, saying the West must form “the broadest coalition” to stop relying on Russian oil and gas.
The prime minister will soon fly to the country to hold energy talks.
But the trip comes after the Saudi government was criticized for executing 81 men in one day.
Tory MP Crispin Blunt said the action had presented Mr Johnson with “exquisite difficulties” in asking Saudi Arabia for help with oil supplies.
But the prime minister told reporters that if the West was to “avoid being blackmailed by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin,” it must turn away from exploiting his country’s hydrocarbons and look at other partnerships.
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Before Russia invaded Ukraine, energy and fuel prices rose across the West.
But costs have risen even further since the war began, with petrol hitting record highs of more than £1.60 a liter in Britain in recent days.
Mr Johnson said “Russian aggression” in Ukraine “helped trigger a rise in hydrocarbon prices and a rise in oil prices” – but there had been a longer-term problem.
“Vladamir Putin has been like a pusher in recent years, feeding an addiction to his hydrocarbons in Western countries,” he said.
“We need to get rid of this addiction.”
After the mass execution in Saudi Arabia, some have called on the prime minister to cancel his trip.
Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael said in the House of Commons on Monday: “Actions speak louder than words.
“If the prime minister goes to Saudi Arabia in the next few days, we’ll send a very clear signal that no matter what we say, things like that don’t really bother us.”
Asked about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, Mr Johnson said part of building “long-term energy security” in Britain is “in the short term…ensuring that we are not as dependent as the West is, as we are now on Russian oil and gas.” are”.
Mr Johnson said: “If we are to stand up to Putin’s bullying, if we are to avoid being blackmailed by Putin, as so many Western countries have unfortunately done, we must rid ourselves of Russian hydrocarbons.
“We need to talk to other producers around the world about how to break free from this dependency.”
He added: “We need to make sure we build the strongest, most comprehensive collection to make sure Vladimir Putin doesn’t succeed, we wean ourselves off Russian hydrocarbons and that’s what’s helping Britain.”
While Gulf talks are about boosting production of oil and gas to offset reduced Russian supplies, Mr Johnson also wrote in the Telegraph newspaper that his promised energy security strategy for the UK would include boosting wind power, using solar power and a “series “would make new big bets” on nuclear energy.
Further drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea was also a suggestion he made.
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