• Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock
Editor's Pick

Rubio meets Saudi Arabian officials ahead of US-Russia talks expected to lay groundwork for Trump-Putin summit

by February 17, 2025
written by February 17, 2025

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Saudi Arabian officials Monday ahead of planned talks in the country between United States diplomats and their Russian counterparts meant to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war. 

Rubio was joined by U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, in a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman at his palace in the capital city of Riyadh. Rubio also met with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud earlier Monday after traveling to Riyadh from Israel during his first trip to the Middle East as secretary of state.

Talks are scheduled for Tuesday in Saudi Arabia between the U.S. and Russia. Ukrainian officials are notably expected to be absent from the negotiating table. 

Rubio, Waltz and Witkoff will meet the Russian delegation, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov set off for the Saudi capital on Monday, according to Russian state TV.  

Addressing reporters in Moscow on Monday, Lavrov said he looked forward to putting an ‘absolutely abnormal period’ of estrangement between the U.S. and Russia behind them, according to the Washington Post. 

‘We want to listen to our partners,’ Lavrov reportedly said. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the talks will be primarily focused on ‘restoring the entire range of U.S.-Russian relations, as well as preparing possible talks on the Ukrainian settlement and organizing a meeting of the two presidents.’ 

Bruce said the meeting is aimed at determining how serious the Russians are about wanting peace and whether detailed negotiations can be started.

‘I think the goal, obviously, for everyone is to determine if this is something that can move forward,’ she told reporters traveling with Rubio in Riyadh, according to the Associated Press.

Bruce said that even though Ukraine would not be at the table for Tuesday’s talks, actual peace negotiations would only take place with Ukraine’s involvement. 

Tuesday’s talks are expected to lay the groundwork for the summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump said he spoke to Putin on the phone last week and they ‘agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately.’ The call upended years of U.S. policy, ending the isolation of Moscow over its Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine. Trump phoned Zelenskyy afterward to inform him about their conversation.

Trump on Sunday told reporters that Zelenskyy ‘will be involved’ but did not elaborate. 

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is convening an emergency meeting between the main European powers in Paris on Monday to discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 

Speaking on Fox News’ ‘Sunday Morning Futures,’ Witkoff said he and Waltz will be ‘having meetings at the direction of the president,’ and hope to make ‘some really good progress with regard to Russia-Ukraine.’

Witkoff didn’t directly respond to a question about whether Ukraine would have to give up a ‘significant portion’ of its territory as part of any negotiated settlement. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week that NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and suggested Kyiv should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back from Russia. 

The Ukrainian president said Monday his country had not been invited to the upcoming talks and won’t accept the outcome if Kyiv doesn’t take part. The U.S.-Russia talks would ‘yield no results,’ given the absence of any Ukrainian officials, Zelenskyy said on a conference call with journalists from the United Arab Emirates, according to the AP. Zelenskyy said he would travel to Turkey on Monday and to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, but that his trip was unrelated to the U.S.-Russia talks.

In an appearance on ‘Fox News Sunday,’ Waltz rejected the notion that European allies are not being consulted on negotiating an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, noting how Rubio, Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spent last week in Europe meeting with allies. Bessent, in particular, traveled to Kyiv, while Vance met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. 

Waltz said one of the key tenants in negotiating a peace deal would be ensuring ‘a permanent end to the war,’ describing how the conflict has devolved ‘into a World War I-style meat grinder of human beings.’ He said long-term military security guarantees have to be European-led, criticizing how a third of NATO countries are not contributing what they agreed upon a decade ago. 

As for the billions in U.S. aid sent to Ukraine during the Biden administration, Waltz said the American people ‘deserve to be recouped, deserve to have some type of payback for the billions they have invested in this war.’ 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

previous post
Tearful chair of Munich Security Conference expresses ‘fear’ in farewell address after blistering Vance speech
next post
DOGE says it found nearly untraceable budget line item responsible for $4.7T in payments

related articles

TikTok isn’t enough to stop Gen Z from...

August 22, 2025

Trump administration wins Supreme Court fight to slash...

August 22, 2025

Zelenskyy seeks ‘strong reaction’ from US if Putin...

August 22, 2025

Pentagon unveils new medal for troops deployed in...

August 21, 2025

Federal judge rules Trump appointee Alina Habba is...

August 21, 2025

‘Maine’s Mamdani’: Maine GOP chief issues warning about...

August 21, 2025

‘There are 50 swamps’: State Freedom Caucus Network...

August 21, 2025

Trump-aligned legal group probes Biden-era organ transplant program...

August 21, 2025

NATO defense chiefs stress commitment to Ukraine, discuss...

August 21, 2025

Russian drone crashes in Polish field; Warsaw protests...

August 21, 2025
Enter Your Information Below To Receive Free Trading Ideas, Latest News, And Articles.


Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

Latest News

  • Poll: Majority of Republicans back Trump’s strikes on Iran; most Americans fear getting dragged into war

    June 25, 2025
  • Denmark in Trump’s crosshairs as Vance makes ambitious appeal to Greenland

    March 28, 2025
  • The one characteristic of Reagan and Trump that sets them apart from other presidents

    July 28, 2024
  • 11 Dems join GOP lawmakers to threaten UN funding over ‘ongoing hostility’ to Israel

    October 25, 2024
  • Walmart, Chipotle and others feel the heat over prices

    July 10, 2024

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Secret Service admits leaning on ‘state and local partners’ after claim it ignored Trump team’s past requests

    July 21, 2024
  • 2

    Five more House Democrats call on Biden to drop out, third US senator

    July 19, 2024
  • 3

    Elon and Vivek should tackle US funding for this boondoogle organization and score a multimillion dollar win

    December 4, 2024
  • 4

    Forex Profit Calculator: Maximize Your Trading Potential

    July 10, 2024
  • 5

    Biden calls to ‘lower the temperature’ then bashes Trump in NAACP speech

    July 17, 2024

Categories

  • Economy (829)
  • Editor's Pick (5,784)
  • Investing (634)
  • Stock (893)

Latest Posts

  • Senate parliamentarian: Who is the unelected official getting say on Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill?’

    May 12, 2025
  • Harris holds big advantage among early voters, Trump with Election Day voters: poll

    October 15, 2024
  • Wizz Air Launches ‘All You Can Fly’ Subscription Deal

    August 15, 2024

Recent Posts

  • Google forcing some remote workers to come back 3 days a week or lose their jobs

    April 24, 2025
  • Indian markets open: Sensex holds gains, Nifty above 24,350 ahead of US jobs data

    May 3, 2025
  • Kamala Harris made a career of pretending to be marginalized

    July 29, 2024

Editor’s Pick

  • Elon Musk’s X Corp. files notice in Alex Jones’ Infowars bankruptcy case

    November 18, 2024
  • Bitcoin price is turning to the bearish side again

    August 16, 2024
  • Former National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien: Ukraine’s NATO bid risks ‘World War III’

    October 28, 2024
  • About us
  • Contacts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Disclaimer: moneyrisetoday.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

Copyright © 2025 moneyrisetoday.com | All Rights Reserved

Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock