US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Saudi Arabia Monday ahead of highly-anticipated talks with Russian officials on how to end Moscow’s nearly three-year war in Ukraine.
Rubio, who touched down in the Saudi capital Riyadh on a previously scheduled trip, is slated to sit down with his Russian counterparts later on Tuesday for the high-level talks.
The meeting – which is meant to precede a meeting between President Trump and President Putin — will be among the first high-level, in-person discussions in years between Russian and US officials.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio waves as he departs Israel for Saudi Arabia, at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel on Feb. 17, 2025. REUTERSRubio will be flanked by national security adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed.
On the Russian side, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, one of Putin’s foreign policy advisors, would be present in the Saudi capital.
“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 organization of a meeting between the two presidents.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev via video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia on Feb. 14, 2025. via REUTERSPeskov declined to comment, though, when asked if Putin and Trump would meet face-to-face in Saudi Arabia later this month.
The planned talks come just days after Trump spoke to his Russian counterpart by phone and ordered top officials to begin negotiations on the war, which he repeatedly vowed to end in the lead up to his election victory.
Rubio said the coming weeks and days would determine if Putin is serious about making peace.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — who is also in the region – said he had no plans to meet with Russian or US officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 15, 2025. via REUTERSHe added that Ukraine is not believed to be invited to the Saudi-hosted talks.
Trump on Sunday told reporters that Zelensky “will be involved,” but didn’t elaborate any further.
Saudi Arabia, 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 and Moscow — helping to secure a prisoner swap last week.
