Secretary of State Marco Rubio advised reporters on Monday that the mineral deal, sought by President Donald Trump, is “not the primary subject on the agenda” for the assembly set with the Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
“I would not prejudge tomorrow about whether or not or not we’ve a minerals deal,” he advised reporters on board a flight to Saudi Arabia. “It is an necessary subject, but it surely’s not the primary subject on the agenda.
“The minerals deal is on the desk that is persevering with to be labored on – it is not a part of this dialog, per se,” he stated, noting that Tuesday’s assembly in Jeddah will be thought-about profitable even with out securing such an settlement.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with the media on his army airplane as he flies to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 10, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP by way of Getty Photographs)
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“It is actually a deal the president desires to see accomplished, but it surely would not essentially must occur tomorrow,” Rubio added.
The Ukrainian delegation is about to incorporate Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential workplace, Andrii Sybiha, minister of international affairs, Pavlo Palisa, colonel of armed forces of Ukraine and an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in addition to Protection Minister Rustem Umerov, who was not solely concerned in preliminary talks with Russia following its February 2022 invasion, however who additionally survived a poisoning assault after a peace assembly in March that 12 months.
Rubio will meet with the delegation within the metropolis of Jeddah round midday native time on Tuesday.
“The necessary level on this assembly is to determine clearly their intentions, their need, as they’ve stated publicly now, quite a few occasions, to succeed in some extent the place peace is feasible,” Rubio stated, including that he’ll must be assured that Kyiv is ready to make some arduous selections, like giving up territory seized by Russia, so as to finish the three-year battle.
Ukraine’s Nationwide Police stated seven persons are lifeless and 5 wounded in a mortar strike east of Kyiv, in Makariv. (Nationwide Police of Ukraine)
“Either side want to return to an understanding,” he stated. “The Russians cannot conquer all of Ukraine, and clearly will probably be very tough for Ukraine, in any cheap time interval, to type of pressure the Russians again all the best way to the place they had been in 2014. So the one answer to this battle is diplomacy and getting them to a desk the place that is attainable.
“Then we’ll have to find out how far they’re from the Russian place, which we do not know but both. After which when you perceive the place each side really are, it provides you a way of how large the divide is and the way arduous it will be,” Rubio defined. “I am hoping it’s going to be a optimistic interplay alongside these traces.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio greets well-wishers upon arrival at King Abdulaziz Worldwide Airport in Jeddah on March 10, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP by way of Getty Photographs)
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Steve Witkoff, particular envoy to the Center East who has more and more been concerned with the talks concerning Ukraine and Russia, advised Fox Information’ Dana Perino on “America’s Newsroom” Monday morning, that the Trump administration has “gone a great distance” to “slim the variations” when coping with Moscow and to get it to the negotiating desk – although he didn’t go into element.
Witkoff prompt relations with Ukraine started to as soon as once more enhance after Zelenskyy despatched Trump a letter through which he apologized for the Oval Workplace change that went bitter late final month after he refused to signal a mineral deal and angered the Trump administration – leading to a sequence of explosive outbursts on dwell TV.
Whereas a mineral deal is unlikely to be achieved this week, in response to Rubio, he stated he hopes that with a profitable assembly in Jeddah, he can safe the resumption of assist to Ukraine, although he didn’t element if this would come with the defensive assist the Trump administration halted, regardless of Russia’s continued bombardment in opposition to Ukrainian targets, or the intelligence sharing which the U.S. additionally stopped following the Oval Workplace showdown.
“The pause in assist broadly is one thing I hope we will resolve,” Rubio stated. “I feel what occurs tomorrow can be key to that.”
Trump and Zelensky had been concerned in an Oval Workplace shouting match. (Fox Information )
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Rubio additionally stated that Russia will see its personal penalties if it doesn’t agree to barter on ending the battle in Ukraine, together with further sanctions.
“It ought to be clear to everybody that the US has instruments accessible to additionally impose prices on the Russian aspect of this equation,” Rubio stated. “However we hope it would not come to that.
“What we’re hoping is that each side understand that this isn’t a battle that may finish by army means,” he added.
On Friday, in a posting on the Truth Social platform, Trump threatened Russia with “massive scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions and Tariffs,” till a ceasefire and peace settlement are reached.
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