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Marco Rubio’s visit to Riyadh, his first as secretary of state, came amid uncertainty about the future of Gaza and Ukraine and criticism of unilateral U.S. moves over the wars in both places.
The de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, met on Monday with three senior members of the Trump administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who were visiting the kingdom to discuss the future of both Gaza and Ukraine.
The visit of Mr. Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s Mideast envoy, came amid criticism that the Trump administration was acting without consulting relevant foreign partners about the wars in both countries.
Mr. Rubio also met earlier in the day with Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi foreign minister.
Little was released about the content of the meetings, except for a video of a brief exchange between the men in which the prince said he was glad to work with the Trump administration.
Mr. Rubio, who flew to Riyadh from Israel, and his colleagues were expected to press the Saudi leadership to propose a vision for postwar Gaza. President Trump’s idea to depopulate and occupy the territory has spurred widespread opposition in the Arab world, including in Saudi Arabia. That has led Mr. Rubio and other U.S. officials to encourage Arab leaders to suggest an alternative.
Following their meeting, the state department said Mr. Rubio and the crown prince discussed developments in Gaza, with the Mr. Rubio underscoring “the importance of an arrangement for Gaza that contributes to regional security,” according to Tammy Bruce, a State Department Spokeswoman.
The three U.S. envoys were also scheduled to meet in Riyadh on Tuesday with Russian officials to discuss the future of the Russia-Ukraine war.
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