Senator Marco Rubio stated on Monday that the mineral agreement, which President Trump is pursuing, is “not the main topic on the agenda” for the upcoming meeting with the Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
“I wouldn’t anticipate any specific outcomes tomorrow regarding whether or not we have a deal,” Rubio told reporters en route to Saudi Arabia. “While it’s an important subject, it’s not the primary focus of the meeting.”
Rubio clarified, “The mineral deal is still under consideration, but it’s not directly part of this discussion.” He emphasized that the meeting in Jeddah could be considered successful even without finalizing such an agreement.
“The president definitely wants to see this deal happen, but it’s not essential that it concludes tomorrow,” Rubio added.
The Ukrainian delegation is expected to include Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office; Andrii Sybiha, minister of foreign affairs; Pavlo Palisa, colonel of armed forces of Ukraine and an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Umerov was involved in initial talks with Russia after the February 2022 invasion and survived a poisoning attempt following a peace meeting in March of that year.
Rubio is scheduled to meet with the Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah around noon local time on Tuesday.
“The key objective of this meeting is to clearly understand their intentions and their publicly stated desire to reach a point where peace becomes a possibility,” Rubio stated. He added that he needs reassurance that Kyiv is prepared to make difficult decisions, such as ceding territory seized by Russia, to bring an end to the three-year conflict.
“Both sides need to reach a mutual understanding,” he said. “It’s clear that Russia cannot conquer all of Ukraine, and it would be exceedingly difficult for Ukraine to force the Russians back to their pre-2014 positions within a reasonable timeframe. Therefore, the only solution to this war is diplomacy and bringing them to the negotiating table.”
“We need to determine how far apart their positions are from the Russian position, which is currently unknown. Understanding the true positions of both sides will give us an idea of the divide and the challenges involved,” Rubio explained. “I hope for a positive interaction in that regard.”
Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, who has been increasingly involved in Ukraine-Russia talks, told Fox News’ Dana Perino on “America’s Newsroom” Monday morning that the Trump administration has made significant progress in narrowing the differences with Moscow and bringing them to the negotiating table, though he provided no specifics.
Witkoff suggested that relations with Ukraine began to improve again after Zelenskyy sent Trump a letter apologizing for the tense Oval Office exchange last month, which occurred after Zelenskyy refused to sign a mineral deal, angering the Trump administration and leading to a series of aid freezes broadcast on live TV.
While a mineral deal is unlikely this week, Rubio expressed hope that a successful meeting in Jeddah could lead to the resumption of aid to Ukraine. However, he did not specify whether this would include defensive aid, which the Trump administration halted despite Russia’s ongoing attacks, or financial assistance, which the U.S. also paused after the Oval Office disagreement.
“I hope we can resolve the broader pause in aid,” Rubio said. “I think what happens tomorrow will be key to that.”
Rubio also stated that Russia would face consequences if it refuses to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, including further sanctions.
“It should be clear that the United States has tools to impose costs on the Russian side as well,” Rubio said. “But we hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Our hope is that both sides recognize that this conflict cannot be resolved through military means,” he added.
On Friday, in a Truth Social post, Trump threatened Russia with “large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions and Tariffs” until a ceasefire and peace settlement are reached.
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