Biden is still expected to travel later this month to Germany and Spain for the G7 and NATO summits respectively.
Officials determined that two separate trips — one to Europe and one to the Middle East — would allow more time to plan and establish a schedule and agenda.
Biden on Friday defended the prospect of a meeting with Prince Mohammed.
“I tried to work on how we can bring more stability and peace to the Middle East and it is possible that I will meet at the time both the Israelis and some Arab countries – including, I I expect it to be Saudi Arabia, would be included if I went,” the president said.
But even before an official reunion announcement, she caught the eye, including of Khashoggi’s fiancée, Hatice Cengiz.
“President Biden’s decision to meet with MBS is horribly upsetting to me and to supporters of freedom and justice everywhere. President Biden, if he meets with MBS, will have lost his moral compass and greatly increased my grief “, she said in a statement to CNN, referring to the crown prince by his initials.
9/11 Families United, a group representing family members of those who died in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, also urged Biden in a letter Thursday to raise Saudi Arabia’s role in the attack. he was meeting Prince Mohammed or other leaders in Riyadh.
On Saturday, the group said it was “pleased” that Biden’s scheduled meeting had been pushed back.
“We are pleased that President Biden is taking a step back and assessing his priorities for this trip to Saudi Arabia,” Terry Strada, the group’s national chairman, said in a statement. “The 9/11 community looks forward to their engagement with us.”
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi and Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.
