Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Monday that the mineral trade that President Donald Trump called for was “not a major topic on the agenda” for the meeting, which set up a meeting with a Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
“We won’t be gi tomorrow about whether there will be a mineral trade,” he told reporters on a flight to Saudi Arabia. “It’s an important topic, but it’s not the main topic on the agenda.
“The mineral trade is on the table we’re working on, and that’s not part of this conversation,” he said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will speak to the media on a military plane when he flies to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on March 10, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
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“It’s certainly a transaction the president wants to do, but it doesn’t necessarily have to happen tomorrow,” Rubio added.
The Ukrainian delegation is set to include Presidential Director, Andry Sibiha, Foreign Minister, Pablo Palisa, Colonel of Ukrainian Army, adviser to Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelenkiy, Andry Sibiha, head of Andry Sibiha, and adviser to President Voldy Mir Zelenkiy. After the peace meeting in March of that year, the addiction attacks were attacked.
Rubio will meet with a Jeddah city delegation around local time on Tuesday.
“The important point of this conference is to clearly establish their intentions, their desires, as I have said many times before, in order to reach the point where peace can be made,” Rubio added that it is necessary to ensure that Kiev is ready to make a tough decision that would give up the territory seized by Russia to end the Three Years War.
Ukrainian national police said seven people were killed and five were injured in a mortar strike east of Kiev in Makalif. (Ukrainian National Police)
“Both sides need to understand,” he said. “The Russians cannot conquer everything in Ukraine, and it is obviously very difficult for Ukraine to force the Russians back to their place in 2014.
“Then we need to determine how far they are from Russia’s position. This is not yet known, and once we understand where both sides are really, it gives us a sense of how big the gap is and how difficult it is,” Rubio explained. “I hope it will be a positive interaction along those lines.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio greets the wealthy people upon his arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on March 10, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
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Steve Witkov, a special envoy to the Middle East, increasingly involved in talks on Ukraine and Russia, told “Dana Perino” on Fox News’ “American Newsroom” on Monday morning.
Witkov suggested that relations with Ukraine began to improve once again after Zelensky refused to sign Trump to a mineral trade and sent a letter to Trump apologizing for sour late last month after refusing to sign a string of explosive explosions on live television.
Rubio said it is unlikely that this week’s mineral trade will be achieved this week, but he hopes that the successful meeting in Jeddah will ensure the reopening of aid to Ukraine.
“We hope that the aid suspension can be resolved,” Rubio said. “I think what happens tomorrow will be the key.”
Trump and Zelensky were involved in the oval office cry match. (Fox News)
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Rubio also said that if they disagree with negotiating to end the war in Ukraine, including additional sanctions, Russia will see its own outcome.
“It is clear to everyone that the US has tools that allow for the tools to use to impose costs on the Russian side of this equation,” Rubio said. “But I hope it doesn’t come to it.
“What we want is that both sides recognize that this is not a conflict that ends through military measures,” he added.
On Friday, Trump threatened Russia with “massive bank sanctions, sanctions and tariffs” in a post on a true social platform.
