US’s Rubio arrives in Saudi Arabia for Ukraine talks with Russia

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday ahead of expected high-stakes talks between American and Russian officials aimed at ending Moscow’s nearly three-year war in Ukraine.

The talks come after President Donald Trump last week spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone and ordered top officials to begin negotiations on the war, which he repeatedly vowed to end during his presidential campaign.

Riyadh, which is also involved in talks with Washington over the future of the Gaza Strip, has played a role in early contacts between the Trump administration, which took office on 20 January, and Moscow, helping to secure a prisoner swap last week.

US top diplomat Rubio, who spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, will meet Russian officials in Saudi Arabia alongside Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, a US lawmaker and a source told Reuters. 

On Monday the Kremlin said it had sent Lavrov and senior Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov to meet the US delegation in Saudi Rabia to discuss the restoration of relations and possible talks to end the war in Ukraine.

“They are expected to hold a meeting with their American counterparts on Tuesday, which will focus primarily on restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations,” Peskov said.

“It will also be devoted to the preparation of possible negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement and the organisation of a meeting between the two presidents.”

Peskov declined to comment on a Reuters report that Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund chief, would also meet the U.S. delegation.

Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that the talks would take place on Tuesday in the Saudi capital Riyadh, citing unnamed sources.

AFP also reported that Saudi Arabia would host the two delegations for a preparatory meeting set for Tuesday, citing a source close to the Saudi government. A spokesperson for the US State Department also confirmed the meeting.

On Monday, Rubio is expected to meet with senior Saudi leaders and possibly the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The talks will be among the first high-level in-person discussions in years between Russian and US officials and are meant to precede a meeting between the US and Russian presidents.

Rubio on Sunday said the coming weeks and days would determine whether Putin is serious about making peace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also in the region. Zelensky, who arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, said he also intended to visit Saudi Arabia and Turkey. 

He said he had no plans to meet Russian or US officials and Ukraine is not believed to be invited to the Saudi-hosted talks. 

Spokesman for the president Sergiy Nykyforov told AFP that Zelensky would visit Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, one day after the talks.

A Ukrainian delegation met with Saudi officials in the country on Sunday in preparation for Zelensky’s visit. According to the Kyiv Independent Zelensky will sign economic agreements between the two countries.

First Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said that Ukraine is likely to have more investment from countries in the region.

“Today, we saw significant interest, mainly in infrastructure projects, energy projects, innovation proposals, (and) agribusiness, primarily fertiliser production where Saudi Arabia has expertise”, she was quotes as saying by the Kyiv Independent.

Gaza talks

Rubio is expected to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) in Saudi Arabia. On the agenda is likely to be Trump’s proposal for the Palestinian residents of Gaza to be resettled in other Arab nations and for the US to lead reconstruction of their home.

That proposal has infuriated the Arab World and heightened fears among Palestinians in Gaza of being driven out of the coastal strip.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 61,709 people, according to Gaza’s government media office which includes the thousands that are missing under the rubble and presumed dead. The war has left the enclave devastated.

Saudi Arabia, alongside other Arab nations, has rejected any plan that involves resettling Palestinians, and Riyadh is spearheading Arab efforts to develop a counterproposal, which could involve a Gulf-led reconstruction fund and a deal to sideline Hamas.

MbS has also insisted that Saudi Arabia would not normalize ties with Israel – a longstanding goal of Washington – without an agreement on a pathway to a Palestinian state.

Rubio visited Israel on Sunday and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pledging support for Israel in its regional rivalry with Iran. 

(Reuters & Agencies)