Saudi crown prince meets with Marco Rubio ahead of U.S.-Ukraine talks

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud met visiting U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, Al-Arabiya TV reported.

Earlier on Monday, Rubio arrived in the coastal city for a meeting between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement on Sunday that Rubio would stay in Jeddah from Monday to Wednesday, during which he would meet with a Ukrainian delegation "to advance the President (Trump)'s goal to end the Russia-Ukraine war."

According to Al-Arabiya, when speaking to reporters on the flight, Rubio expressed optimism about the upcoming meeting with the Ukrainian delegation, although he added that there were still more details to be worked out on the minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also arrived in Jeddah on Monday and is expected to meet the Saudi crown prince. ■