U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Riyadh on Monday ahead of high-level talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as Washington and Moscow prepare for negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine and discussing broader U.S.-Russia relations.
Rubio’s visit to the Saudi capital comes as U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are also set to arrive for Tuesday’s talks with Russian officials. The meeting marks one of the first in-person discussions in years between senior U.S. and Russian representatives and is expected to lay the groundwork for a possible summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Lavrov and foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov were traveling to Riyadh for the discussions.
“They are expected to meet with their American counterparts on Tuesday, primarily focusing on restoring the full scope of Russian-American relations,” Peskov told reporters.
Discussions will also include preparations for potential negotiations on Ukraine and the logistics of a presidential meeting between Trump and Putin. However, Peskov declined to comment on reports that Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, would be attending or whether Trump and Putin would meet in person in Saudi Arabia later this month.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed that Rubio, Waltz, and Witkoff will represent Washington in the Riyadh talks.
Trump’s directive for the negotiations follows his recent phone call with Putin, during which he instructed top officials to explore avenues to end the war in Ukraine. Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly pledged to resolve the conflict.
Saudi Arabia, which played a key role in early U.S.-Russia diplomatic contacts, facilitated a prisoner exchange between the two sides last week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also in the region, having arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. He has indicated plans to visit Saudi Arabia and Turkey, though no specific dates have been confirmed.
Zelenskyy dismissed speculation that he would meet U.S. or Russian officials, emphasizing that Ukraine was not invited to the Saudi-hosted talks.
“Ukraine does not recognize any negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine,” he said.
Rubio, who spoke with Lavrov by phone on Saturday, stated on Sunday that the coming weeks would determine whether Putin is genuinely open to a peace settlement.
Rubio is also expected to discuss the Gaza conflict with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), particularly Trump’s proposal for Palestinian residents of Gaza to be resettled in other Arab nations while the U.S. leads reconstruction efforts.
The proposal has sparked strong opposition across the Arab world and heightened fears among Palestinians that they could be permanently displaced.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Iran-backed Hamas militants launched an attack on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. Israel’s subsequent military response has resulted in more than 48,000 Palestinian casualties, according to Gaza health officials. A fragile ceasefire was reached last month.
Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations have firmly rejected any plans for Palestinian resettlement. Instead, Riyadh is leading regional efforts to propose an alternative solution, which could involve a Gulf-led reconstruction initiative and measures to sideline Hamas.
MbS has reiterated that Saudi Arabia will not normalize relations with Israel—a long-standing U.S. objective—without a clear pathway to Palestinian statehood.
During a visit to Israel on Sunday, Rubio met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reaffirmed Washington’s support for Israel in its ongoing tensions with Iran.
