Rubio Meets Saudi Crown Prince for Talks on Gaza and Ukraine

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, met with senior members of the Trump administration on Monday, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who were in the kingdom for talks on the future of Gaza and Ukraine.

The delegation, consisting of Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, arrived amid growing criticism that the Trump administration was bypassing key international partners in its handling of the conflicts in both Gaza and Ukraine.https://svtoday.org/

Earlier in the day, Rubio also held talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan.

Details of the meetings were scarce, but a video surfaced showing a brief exchange between the Crown Prince and Rubio, in which the prince expressed his willingness to work with the Trump administration.

Rubio, who flew to Riyadh from Israel, and his colleagues were expected to urge Saudi leaders to present a vision for Gaza’s future after the conflict. President Trump’s controversial proposal to depopulate and occupy Gaza has faced widespread opposition across the Arab world, including in Saudi Arabia. As a result, U.S. officials, including Rubio, have encouraged Arab leaders to offer an alternative.

After their discussions, the State Department stated that Rubio and the Crown Prince focused on Gaza, with Rubio emphasizing the importance of finding an arrangement that contributes to regional security, according to spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

On Tuesday, the U.S. envoys were set to meet with Russian officials in Riyadh to discuss the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

In addition to alienating Arab allies with his Gaza proposal, Trump’s recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Ukraine angered European partners. His administration has also stated that European governments will not be included in future talks, despite the conflict being on their doorstep.

This has raised concerns in Ukraine and Europe, with leaders fearing they will be excluded from decisions that will directly impact their futures. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated in a Sunday interview that Ukraine would “never” accept a peace deal between the U.S. and Russia that excluded them from the discussions.

Rubio’s visit comes amid growing uncertainty about the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the long-term governance of the territory.

Israeli officials were scheduled to meet in Cairo on Monday to discuss sending humanitarian aid, including temporary housing for Gaza. However, the Israeli government has yet to decide whether to extend the truce, which will expire in early March unless Hamas and Israel resume talks. Israeli ministers were set to debate the issue on Monday evening, but it was uncertain if they would vote on it.

Israel’s leadership is keen to avoid prolonging the truce if it means allowing Hamas to remain a military force. Although Hamas has indicated a willingness to share administrative control of Gaza, they are resistant to disarming their military wing.

Trump’s suggestion to resolve the deadlock by depopulating Gaza and relocating its residents to Egypt and Jordan has been strongly opposed by those countries and Saudi Arabia. International law experts label the forced expulsion of Palestinians as ethnic cleansing and a war crime.

This controversial proposal has also complicated Israel’s long-standing efforts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia. The Saudi leadership has made it clear that it will not recognize Israel if Palestinians are displaced from Gaza or if Israel refuses to pave the way for Palestinian sovereignty.

Tensions increased further when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that Saudi Arabia host Palestinian refugees and establish a Palestinian state on Saudi territory. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry condemned Netanyahu’s comments, calling them the views of “an extremist, occupying mind-set” that fails to grasp the historical and cultural significance of Palestinian land.