Rubio Arrives in Saudi Arabia for US-Russia Talks on Ukraine War
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday for discussions with Russian officials aimed at ending Moscow’s nearly three-year war in Ukraine.
The talks follow a phone conversation between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, during which Trump directed top officials to begin negotiations—a key pledge from his presidential campaign.
Riyadh, which has been mediating early contacts between the Trump administration and Moscow, previously facilitated a prisoner swap. Rubio, who spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, will meet Russian officials alongside Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
Russian media reports indicate that the talks will take place on Tuesday in Riyadh and are among the first high-level in-person discussions between US and Russian officials in years, potentially paving the way for a future meeting between Trump and Putin.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, currently in the UAE, has no scheduled meetings with US or Russian officials and is not expected to attend the Saudi-hosted talks.
