US President Joe Biden said on Saturday he had "not yet" decided if he will travel to Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported.
Asked by a reporter in Albuquerque, New Mexico, if he would use a possible trip to the Middle East to secure a deal to improve Saudi-Israeli relations, Biden said, "We'll see."
Any potential visit to Saudi Arabia likely would be aimed at bolstering relations with the country at a time when Biden is trying to find ways to lower gasoline prices in the United States.
Sources have said Biden was planning a trip to Saudi Arabia, along with a trip to Europe and Israel in late June.
Last week, Biden shot down reports that he was planning an official visit to Saudi Arabia.
“I have no direct plans at the moment. But let me tell you I have been engaged in trying to work with how we can bring more stability and peace in the Middle East,” he said at the time.
A report on NBC News recently claimed that Biden's planned visits to Israel and Saudi Arabia have been postponed to July.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later pushed back on the reports, arguing that a trip had never been confirmed to begin with.
The White House has said the president feels that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is a "pariah" for his role in the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018.
A White House official said on Friday that the United States would not overlook conduct that took place before Biden's presidency, but that "it was also important to reorient – but not rupture – relations with Saudi Arabia", noting the country's role as a strategic partner of the United States for eight decades.