US President Joe Biden has said that he told Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that he held him responsible for the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi as they held talks meant to reset relations with the key Arab ally.
Mr Biden, speaking after meetings with Saudi Arabia's top leaders, said the crown prince denied involvement and said he had held those responsible to account.
Mr Biden shared a fist bump with the prince and shook hands with King Salman after arriving in Saudi Arabia.
"With respect to the murder of Khashoggi, I raised it at the top of the meeting, making it clear what I thought of it at the time and what I think about it now," Mr Biden told reporters.
"I was straight forward and direct in discussing it. I made my view crystal clear. I said very straightforwardly, for an American president to be silent on an issue of human rights is inconsistent with who we are and who I am."
US intelligence says the prince directly approved the murder of Khashoggi, a Saudi insider-turned-critic, by Saudi agents. Mr Biden said what happened to Khashoggi was outrageous.
"He basically said that he was not personally responsible for it," Mr Biden said of the crown prince's response during their meeting.
"I indicated that I thought he was."
The president said they also discussed energy and that he expected to see "further steps" from Saudi Arabia, a major oil producer, on energy in the coming weeks.
As a presidential candidate, Mr Biden had said the kingdom should be made a "pariah" on the world stage because of the murder. He said today that he did not regret that comment.
Energy and security interests prompted Mr Biden and his aides to decide not to isolate the Gulf oil giant that has been strengthening ties with Russia and China.
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The president's interaction with the crown prince drew criticism at home - beginning with the fist bump.
At the start of Mr Biden's Middle East trip, officials said he would avoid close contacts, such as shaking hands, as a precaution against Covid-19. But the president ended up engaging in hand-shaking during the Israel leg of the tour.
Mr Biden wants to "recalibrate" Washington's relations with Saudi Arabia and not rupture them, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.
Saudi ambassador to Washington Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, who was part of the Saudi greeting party, reiterated in an article for Politico the kingdom's "abhorrence" of the killing, describing it as a gruesome atrocity, and said it cannot define US-Saudi ties.
She said the relationship should also not be seen in the "outdated and reductionist" oil-for-security paradigm.
Typically, the White House releases names ahead of landing of foreign officials who will welcome the president, but this time details only came out after Mr Biden left the airport.
When former US president Donald Trump, who enjoyed close ties with the prince, visited Saudi Arabia in 2017 he was met by King Salman, who has made few recent public appearances. The Mecca governor met France's president when he visited Jeddah late last year.
Jeddah hosts a larger gathering of Arab leaders tomorrow.
