Saudi Crown Prince Hosts Zelensky and Rubio
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Synopsis
On March 11, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The talks, which included US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, focused on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and upcoming negotiations.
Key Takeaways
- Saudi Crown Prince hosts Ukrainian President.
- Formal discussions held in Jeddah.
- Rubio's visit aims to address Russia-Ukraine war.
- Upcoming meeting after White House tensions.
- Focus on bilateral minerals agreement.
Jeddah, March 11 (NationPress) Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on late Monday, as reported by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Tuesday.
The SPA shared on the social media platform X that the Saudi crown prince hosted the Ukrainian president at the Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, where a formal reception ceremony took place. Both leaders engaged in official discussions.
Zelensky arrived in the coastal city of Saudi Arabia earlier on Monday, in anticipation of upcoming US-Ukraine negotiations.
On Friday, Zelensky stated, "On Monday, I am set to visit Saudi Arabia to meet with the Crown Prince (Mohammed bin Salman). Subsequently, my team will stay in Saudi Arabia to collaborate with our American partners," as quoted by the Kiev-based Ukrainian News Agency.
On the same day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also arrived in Jeddah to meet with the Saudi crown prince.
A previous announcement from the US State Department indicated that Rubio would remain in Jeddah from Monday through Wednesday to meet with a Ukrainian delegation, aiming to further the President's (Trump) objective to conclude the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
As reported by Al-Arabiya, Rubio expressed optimism to reporters during the flight regarding the forthcoming meeting with the Ukrainian delegation, though he noted that additional details regarding the minerals agreement between the US and Ukraine still needed to be finalized.
The impending US-Ukraine meeting, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, comes after a rare heated exchange at the White House between US President Donald Trump and Zelensky in late February, which resulted in the cancellation of a bilateral minerals agreement and the subsequent halt of US military support to Ukraine.
