U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Monday for anticipated discussions with Russian officials aimed at resolving Moscow’s nearly three-year conflict in Ukraine. These talks follow a recent phone conversation between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which Trump instructed senior officials to initiate negotiations to end the war, a commitment he made during his presidential campaign.

Saudi Arabia, which is also engaged in discussions with Washington regarding the future of the Gaza Strip, has facilitated initial communications between the Trump administration and Moscow since taking office on January 20, including assisting in a prisoner exchange last week. Rubio, who spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, will be joined in Saudi Arabia by Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, according to a U.S. lawmaker and a source who spoke to Reuters. The specific Russian officials they will meet have not been disclosed.

According to the Russian newspaper Kommersant, the discussions are scheduled for Tuesday in Riyadh, citing unnamed sources. This meeting marks one of the first significant in-person dialogues between U.S. and Russian officials in years and is intended to pave the way for a future meeting between the presidents of the two nations. Rubio stated on Sunday that the upcoming days and weeks will be crucial in determining Putin’s sincerity regarding peace efforts. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is also in the region; he arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday and plans to visit Saudi Arabia and Turkey, although no specific dates have been announced. Zelenskiy has indicated that he does not intend to meet with Russian or U.S. officials, and Ukraine is not expected to be included in the Saudi-hosted discussions.

GAZA TALKS

Rubio is anticipated to engage with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) in Saudi Arabia. The discussions are likely to center around Trump’s suggestion for relocating Palestinian residents of Gaza to other Arab countries, with the U.S. taking the lead in the reconstruction of their homeland. This proposal has sparked outrage across the Arab World and intensified concerns among Palestinians in Gaza about the possibility of being displaced from the coastal region.

The situation in Gaza has been catastrophic following the conflict that erupted when Iran-backed Hamas militants launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities and 250 hostages, according to Israeli reports. In retaliation, Israel’s military response has claimed the lives of over 48,000 Palestinians, as reported by Gaza health officials, until a fragile ceasefire was established last month.

Saudi Arabia, along with other Arab nations, has firmly opposed any plans that entail the resettlement of Palestinians. Riyadh is leading efforts among Arab states to formulate a counterproposal, which may include a Gulf-led reconstruction initiative and a strategy to marginalize Hamas.

MbS has also made it clear that Saudi Arabia will not pursue normalization of relations with Israel—a long-standing objective of the U.S.—without a clear agreement on establishing a Palestinian state. Rubio visited Israel on Sunday, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reaffirming support for Israel in its ongoing regional conflict with Iran.