Marco Rubio, the newly appointed US Secretary of State, is set for a dramatic face-off with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Saudi Arabia – a major shift in Washington’s approach under President Donald Trump.
The high-stakes meeting is aimed at negotiating a possible peace deal for Ukraine and paving the way for a potential Trump-Putin summit. According to the Kremlin, discussions will focus on restoring US-Russia ties amid ongoing global tensions.
Joining the closed-door talks will be Yuri Ushakov, a key foreign policy aide to Vladimir Putin, as well as top US officials Steve Witkoff and Mike Waltz.
Rubio has previously vowed to take a tough but pragmatic approach to diplomacy with Moscow, signaling a potential thaw in relations after years of hostility.
With Ukraine still engulfed in war and global security on the line, all eyes will be on Saudi Arabia as Washington and Moscow test the waters for a new era of diplomacy.
