This combination of pictures created on February 15, 2025 shows, L-R, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff on February 3, 2025, in Washington, DC, US Senator Marco Rubio during his confirmation hearing for Secretary of State on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on January 15, 2025, and and US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on February 4, 2025, in Washington, DC. A senior team from US President Donald Trump’s administration will start talks in Saudi Arabia with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators on ending the Ukraine war, US officials said on February 15, 2025. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Trump’s Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff will head to Saudi for the talks, the officials said. (Photo by Jim WATSON and ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
WASHINGTON, United States — A senior team from US President Donald Trump’s administration will start talks in Saudi Arabia with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators on ending the Ukraine war, US officials said Saturday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Trump’s Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff will head to Saudi for the talks, the officials said.
The airlines, along with Virgin owner Bain Capital, announced details of the proposed agreement, which had long been rumored, before markets opened in Sydney.
Article continues after this advertisementThe move comes just days after Trump announced that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since returning to office, and that they had agreed to start talks on a ceasefire in Ukraine.
FEATURED STORIES GLOBALNATION Pope Francis slept well, reading papers in hospital: Vatican GLOBALNATION Anger, confusion as US federal workers face more layoffs GLOBALNATION Exercises ‘purely defensive,’ US says of drills with PHThe officials gave no further details of when the meetings would happen or when the officials would travel.
But Rubio had already been due to visit Saudi Arabia as part his first tour of the Middle East, which began on Saturday when he arrived in Israel, an AFP journalist reported.
Article continues after this advertisementRubio earlier Saturday had a telephone call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, in which he “reaffirmed President Trump’s commitment to finding an end to the conflict in Ukraine,” the State Department said.
cleopatra slot machineArticle continues after this advertisementFormer property developer Witkoff was heavily involved in a prisoner exchange deal earlier this week that paved the way for the call between Trump and Putin.
Article continues after this advertisementWitkoff even traveled to Moscow to bring home US detainee Marc Fogel.
In a social media post announcing the Putin call earlier this week, Trump had said he had tasked Rubio, Waltz, Witkoff and CIA chief John Ratcliffe to immediately get to work on a deal with Russia to end the Ukraine war.
Article continues after this advertisementKyiv and its European allies were, however, blindsided by Trump’s sudden move to start negotiations with Russia.
Both fear being frozen out of negotiations on Ukraine’s future after the biggest land invasion in Europe since World War II.
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