Secretary of State Marco Rubio, anticipating Tuesday's summit, met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto ruler, to discuss the end of Ukraine's full-scale invasion of Russia.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a video of the two politicians' meeting, but provided little detail on the discussion. The State Department said in a Read out Rubio and the Crown Prince discussed the issue of the Middle East: “We discussed Yemen and the threat to voyages from the Hooty terrorists that threaten global commerce, American interests, and Saudi citizens and infrastructure.” Rubio thanked Saudi Arabia for holding consultations in Ukraine, but the State Department did not explicitly say that the two had a deep discussion on the issue.
The visit is Rubio's second since becoming America's top diplomat, addressing the same issues as his previous diplomats. I met They get a sense of Russian officials in Riyadh and what conditions they will gain for Russia's acceptance to end the bloody three-year invasion. Rubio is expected to meet with the finest Ukrainian officials, including the country's foreign and defense ministers, to discuss the war. Additionally, Rubio told reporters on Monday that he hopes to potentially discuss an agreement between Washington and Kiev to jointly pursue rare earth mineral extractions in Ukraine.
“The mineral trade is on the table. We're still working on it,” Rubio said. I said Reporter. “It's not part of this conversation itself, and it's not. We can succeed without it tomorrow. It's certainly a deal the president wants to do, and it doesn't necessarily have to happen tomorrow. There's more detail.”
The deal, which was expected to be signed in late February, collapsed in front of cameras in an oval office as Ukrainian President Voldy Mee Zelensky challenged US President Donald Trump on the issue and expelled Zelensky from the White House.
“He downplayed the United States in his precious oval office. He can come back when he is ready for peace,” Trump wrote after cancelling a meeting with Zelensky.
A few days later, Zelensky said he was ready to go back to negotiations, but has not publicly apologized for the tense episode in the oval office. Ukrainform, a Ukrainian state media outlet, has reported on Monday that Middle East Stephen Whitkov's US envoy I said In an interview in which Zelensky apologized for the incident and sent a private letter to Trump, the parties did not confirm or challenge the report.
Zelensky It's arrived In Saudi Arabia, separate for a meeting with the Crown Prince on Monday, he postponed in February in protest of Rubio's debate with Russian officials.
“We weren't invited to this Russian-American conference in Saudi Arabia. That was a surprise to us. I don't want a coincidence, so I'm not going to Saudi Arabia,” complained Zelensky. I said When I visited Türkiye in February.
Same goes for the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Published A photo of Mohammed bin Salman along with Zelensky revealed that the Ukrainian president has expressed his gratitude and gratitude to the kingdom [Saudi Arabia’s] An effort to highlight its pivotal role in the Middle East and the world. ”
“Ukraine has been seeking peace since the first seconds of the war. He has always said that Russia is the only reason the war continues,” Zelensky wrote in a message before landing in Saudi Arabia.
Rubio told reporters Monday that Zelensky is not expected to take part in Tuesday's debate despite his presence in the country.
“He's meeting with the Crown Prince here, but I don't think he'll be in our meeting. Our meeting is with the delegation they sent,” Rubio explained. “Their national security advisors, the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Foreign Affairs are my understanding.
The Secretary of State added that it was “possible” for him to unofficially encounter Zelensky, but that was not expected.
Rubio explained the purpose of his mission in a meeting with Ukrainian officials, as he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, when he decided which terms will be accepted in negotiations with Russia.
“The key point of this conference is, as they have said publicly many times, to clearly establish their intentions, their desires. “And we need to determine how far they are from Russia's position. This is not yet clear. And once both parties understand what they really are, it gives us a sense of how big the gap is and how difficult it is.”
“The Russians cannot conquer everything in Ukraine,” Rubio continued. “And clearly for Ukraine, it is very difficult for Russians to come back all the way to where it was 2014, in a reasonable period.
