Separate Meetings of Bin Salman with Rubio and Zelensky Discussing Ukraine and Regional Developments

Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, met and discussed with Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Mr. Rubio arrived in Jeddah on Monday, March 11, and the meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince also took place in this city. According to the U.S. Department of State, the two sides discussed 'the threats posed by Houthi terrorists in Yemen,' Syria, and the reconstruction of Gaza. Mr. Rubio also wrote on social media platform X that he appreciated Saudi Arabia for hosting this week's meetings on Ukraine during this 'important meeting.' Additionally, according to the official Saudi news agency, Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional and international developments with the U.S. Secretary of State. Negotiations between American and Ukrainian officials to end the war in Ukraine are set to take place today (Tuesday, March 12) in Jeddah. Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, also arrived in Jeddah on Monday and met with Mohammed bin Salman. According to the official Saudi news agency, Mohammed bin Salman emphasized his country's support 'for all international efforts aimed at resolving the Ukraine crisis and achieving peace' during this meeting. Mr. Zelensky will not be present at the negotiations on Tuesday. The negotiations between Ukrainian and American officials come about ten days after the tense meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump, the President of the United States, at the White House. Mr. Trump is critical of the substantial financial and military aid provided by the previous U.S. administration to Ukraine and insists that the Russia-Ukraine war must end quickly. However, Ukraine and European countries have expressed concerns about the details of a peace agreement with Russia, while Moscow has occupied about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory and Kyiv has been sidelined from previous U.S.-Russia negotiations.