US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was set to travel to Saudi Arabia on Sunday for talks on Ukraine, as President Donald Trump weighs whether to lift the aid freeze on the wartime ally.
The State Department confirmed that Rubio would also attend the Group of Seven (G7) talks in Canada, making him the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit since Trump’s return to office. Trump has previously clashed with Canada, engaging in a trade war and questioning its sovereignty.
During meetings in Jeddah from Monday to Wednesday, Rubio will discuss ways to “advance the president’s goal of ending the Russia-Ukraine war,” according to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. Notably, she avoided the pre-Trump administration’s language referring to Russia’s actions as an invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced his participation in the Jeddah talks, along with Trump confidant and envoy Steve Witkoff.
Trump suspended military aid and intelligence-sharing with Ukraine following a contentious February 28 meeting with Zelensky at the White House. During the meeting, the president and Vice President JD Vance publicly criticized Zelensky for what they called a lack of gratitude over past U.S. military support.
Zelensky left Washington without signing an agreement Trump had demanded, which would have given the U.S. access to a significant portion of Ukraine’s mineral resources—an arrangement Trump argued would reimburse American taxpayers for previous aid given under former President Joe Biden.
Since then, Zelensky has signaled a willingness to sign the minerals deal and sent a conciliatory letter to Trump, which the president read aloud during his congressional address on Tuesday.
Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy on Russia and Ukraine, stated Thursday that he would support resuming aid once Zelensky finalizes the agreement—but emphasized that the final decision rests with Trump.
