The U.S. Secretary of State has arrived in Saudi Arabia for talks with representatives from Moscow.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of anticipated talks with Russian officials aimed at ending nearly three years of Russia's war against Ukraine.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Reuters.

The negotiations will commence following a phone call last week between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, during which Trump instructed senior officials to initiate discussions about the conflict he has repeatedly promised to resolve during his presidential campaign.

Riyadh, which is also engaged in talks with Washington regarding the future of the Gaza Strip, played a significant role in the early contacts between the Trump administration, which took office on January 20, and Moscow, facilitating a prisoner exchange last week.

Chief U.S. diplomat Rubio, who spoke by phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, will meet with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia alongside Trump's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and the White House Special Representative for the Middle East, Steve Vitkoff. It remains unclear who they will meet from the Russian side.

The talks on February 18 will be among the first high-level in-person discussions between U.S. and Russian officials in recent years and are expected to precede a meeting between the presidents of the U.S. and Russia.

Rubio stated that the coming weeks and days will reveal whether Putin is serious about achieving peace.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is also in the region. Zelensky, who arrived in the United Arab Emirates on January 16, indicated that he also intends to visit Saudi Arabia and Turkey, but no dates have been set yet. He mentioned that he does not plan to meet with Russian or American officials, and it is believed that Ukraine has not been invited to the talks taking place in Saudi Arabia.

Gaza Negotiations

Rubio is expected to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia. The agenda will likely include Trump's proposal for relocating Palestinian residents of Gaza to other Arab countries and for the U.S. to lead the reconstruction efforts.

This proposal has sparked outrage in the Arab world and heightened concerns among Palestinians in Gaza regarding the potential for their displacement from the coastal strip.

Gaza has been devastated by the war that began when Iran-backed militants from Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 250 hostage. Israel's subsequent offensive was halted following an agreement reached last month, which brought about a fragile ceasefire.

Saudi Arabia, like other Arab countries, has rejected any plan that involves the relocation of Palestinians, and Riyadh is leading efforts among Arab states to develop a counter-proposal that may include a reconstruction fund led by Gulf countries and a deal to oust Hamas.

Mohammed bin Salman has also insisted that Saudi Arabia will not normalize relations with Israel—a long-standing goal of Washington—without an agreement on a path toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Rubio visited Israel on January 16 and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, promising support for Israel in its regional rivalry with Iran.

It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia intends not only to provide a platform but also to act as a mediator in talks between the U.S. and Russia. The negotiations are set to begin on February 18.