Meeting between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Marco Rubio in the UAE, Discussing Peace Talks on Ukraine War

Meeting between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Marco Rubio in the UAE, Discussing Peace Talks on Ukraine War

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the ruler of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Wednesday. This visit marked Rubio's participation in the highest-level discussions between the United States and Russia regarding the Ukraine war.

Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the ruler of Abu Dhabi, held the meeting with Rubio as the U.S. is working to broker a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In 2020, during President Donald Trump's first term, the UAE recognized Israel and has since mediated prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine.

No statement was issued after the 30-minute meeting between Rubio, Sheikh Mohammed, and the UAE's foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. On Monday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Sheikh Mohammed. Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have been discussed as potential venues for peace talks to end the Ukraine war.

Additionally, Saudi Arabia has been mentioned as a possible venue for a meeting between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which could provide a diplomatic success for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

During his visit, Rubio also toured Abu Dhabi's Abrahamic Family House, which houses a Catholic church, a Jewish synagogue, and an Islamic mosque.