Rubio arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday after a first stop on his tour in Israel to discuss the ongoing war against the genocidal terrorist organization Hamas and the status of the current ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. In addition to the crown prince, Rubio met with his Saudi counterpart, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan for a conversation that the Saudi Foreign Ministry described as centered around how to forge closer bilateral ties “in the interest of both nations.”
In addition to meetings on regional Middle Eastern issues, Rubio held a meeting on Tuesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and a team of Russian officials to discuss peace talks towards an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a potential meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian strongman Vladimir Putin.
Trump told reporters last week, following a phone conversation with Putin, that he hoped to hold a summit with the head of state in Saudi Arabia, in addition to visiting Russia.
In a statement on his meeting with Mohammed bin Salman, the State Department detailed that Rubio discussed “increased economic and defense cooperation” with Riyadh in addition to common interests in various regional conflicts.
“The Secretary and the Crown Prince reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the ceasefire in Gaza and ensuring that Hamas releases all hostages, including American citizens,” the statement read. “The Secretary underscored the importance of an arrangement for Gaza that contributes to regional security.”
The two also reportedly shared views on the current status of Syria, Lebanon, and “Red Sea security,” likely a reference to the ongoing terrorist campaign by the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists of Yemen, who have severely impacted global shipping by attacking random vessels traversing in and near the Red Sea in support of Hamas.
The State Department was slightly more forthcoming on the talks between Rubio and the crown prince than the Saudi government, which shared little detail beyond images of the lavishly decorated venue hosting the talks.
“During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations and explored ways to strengthen them in the interest of both nations,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry explained. “The two officials also exchanged views on regional and international developments, as well as ongoing efforts to address them.”
Neither government indicated that the Saudis weighed in on the expected talks on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Saudi Arabia is one of a small group of countries that enjoys friendly relations with both Ukraine and Russia, refusing to abide by European sanctions on the Russian fossil fuel industry but hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on several occasions and offering the country humanitarian aid.
Dmitry Peskov, a top spokesman for Putin, told reporters on Monday that the objective of the Rubio-Lavrov talks will be focused on “restoring the entire complex of US-Russian relations, as well as preparing possible talks on the Ukrainian settlement and organizing a meeting of the two presidents.”
Rubio’s visit to Saudi Arabia follows a tumultuous four years of Saudi-U.S. relations under former President Joe Biden, who prior to taking office promised during a presidential debate to turn the country, a longtime American ally, into a “pariah.” Biden’s relationship with the country never recovered despite efforts, including a personal visit in 2022 that yielded one of the most awkward exchanges of the Biden presidency: an uncomfortable fist-bump meeting with the crown prince in Jeddah. Biden also harmed Saudi interests more directly with policies such as the delisting of the Houthi terrorist organization, Ansarallah, from the State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations in 2021, greatly expanding the Houthis’ financing capacity and preceding the ongoing Red Sea terror campaign. Prior to that decision, the Houthis had repeatedly bombed Saudi Arabia in response to Riyadh supporting the legitimate government of Yemen.
The Saudi government warmly welcomed Trump’s return to the White House in January. The crown prince reportedly told Trump in a phone call in January that he was hoping to invest at least $600 billion in the United States in the four years of his second term.
The bilateral relationship hit an obstacle in early February when Trump issued a surprise declaration that the United States would take over the Gaza Strip, currently governed by Hamas.
U..S Secretary of State Marco Antonio Rubio (L) meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (R) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 17, 2025. (Saudi Arabia Foreign Ministry / Handout /Anadolu via Getty Images)
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll love it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous bombs and other weapons on the site,” Trump promised, outraging Islamic countries that support the creation of a Palestinian state.
Trump’s plan would require neighboring Arab states to give refuge to the destitute civilian population of Gaza – a massive point of contention for Egypt, Jordan, and the Gulf states, all of which claim to support the “Palestinian cause” but obstinately refuse to support Palestinians by giving them a respectable place to live.
The Saudi government declared in response to Trump’s remarks that its support for a Palestinian state, presumably including Gaza, “is firm and unwavering.”
“His Royal Highness [Mohammed bin Salman] emphasized that Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that,” the ministry affirmed.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also reaffirms its unequivocal rejection of any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people,” it added, “whether through Israeli settlement policies, land annexation, or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.”
Anonymous reports on Friday claimed that Saudi Arabia was “spearheading” a plan to stop Trump from rehabilitating Gaza, organizing meetings with regional states to find an alternative to the United States establishing a permanent presence there.
“The dismay in Saudi Arabia was aggravated, sources said, because the plan would nix the kingdom’s demand for a clear path to Palestinian statehood as a condition to normalise ties with Israel,” Reuters reported at the time, citing its anonymous sources
Follow Frances Martel on Facebook and Twitter.
Breitbart News
Read the full article .
