Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who effectively controls the country, has been repeatedly accused of personally ordering the assassination of journalist and regime critic Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
In a new US report, which is expected to be published soon, the United States is expected to emphasize the accusations against Mohammed bin Salman once again.
According to CNN, the White House has said it did not want to release the report until Joe Biden had a conversation with King Salman - which has now happened.
A White House statement said the king and president discussed regional security, the war in Yemen and the United States' role in defending Saudi Arabia against attacks by Iran - however, no mention was made of the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi or the US assassination report.
In addition to the report, a new resolution is expected to be adopted in Washington on Friday to hold Saudi Arabia responsible for Khashoggi's death and other human rights violations.
"Want to mark"
Last week's discussions on Khashoggi and Saudi Arabia are described by experts as yet another signal from the United States that human rights violations will have consequences for the privileges Saudi Arabia has been given as a US ally.
President Biden has already withdrawn US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen and halted part of arms sales to the country.
The American diplomat Dennis Ross, who has worked on Middle East issues in several administrations, tells CNN that Biden wants to mark in this way that they have turned the page since Donald Trump's time in the White House:
- I think that is the administration's way of saying to Saudi Arabia: We will not protect you from the punishments that come with bad behavior, so it is best to avoid these behaviors.