As Trump looks to turn page on Gaza and Ukraine, all roads lead to Riyadh
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Monday, as the 39-year-old Saudi leader is catapulted to the intersection of a ring of conflicts stretching from Ukraine to Gaza that the Trump administration wants to turn a page on.
In Ukraine, Saudi Arabia has emerged as a convenient mediator for the Trump administration, a reflection of how quickly US foreign policy has pivoted in eastern Europe.
Saudi Arabia welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin on a visit in 2023 when the Biden administration was lobbying partners to shun the Russian leader.
Now, with Trump in office and the US’s Nato allies sidelined, Riyadh is the preferred neutral ground for the Kremlin and Washington to begin discussing an end to the war in Ukraine, historic talks that analysts say could rewrite the security architecture of Europe.