British Prime Minister seeks to increase supplies of UAE and Saudi oil

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will visit the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as part of efforts to secure more oil supplies and increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine.

At a time when Britain, like most of the West, faces a state of frenzy over energy prices, Johnson is keen to encourage producers to increase production and obtain other supplies to reduce the burden on consumers and reduce dependence on Russian exports.

A spokesman for Johnson said the British prime minister would address human rights issues in Saudi Arabia, which include the execution of 81 men, but critics say London should not resort to a country where it carried out its largest mass execution in decades.