Rubio Meets with UAE Leader Amidst Ukraine, Gaza Diplomacy
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded an overseas trip Wednesday with a meeting with United Arab Emirates (UAE) leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also the ruler of Abu Dhabi, The Associated Press reports.
The visit comes as the US seeks to maintain a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and navigates complex geopolitical relationships involving Russia and Ukraine.
Rubio’s visit to the UAE, a key mediator in prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine, follows the highest-level outreach between the United States and Russia since start of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022.
The UAE, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020, is considered a crucial partner for the United States in regional stability. According to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, Rubio expressed his gratitude to the UAE leader “for the strength and enduring nature of the relationship, one marked by strong economic ties, defense cooperation and mutual interests in regional stability.”
Discussions during the meeting covered a wide range of issues, including artificial intelligence, the Gaza Strip, Syria, Lebanon, and the situation in the Red Sea, which has seen attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels prior to the Gaza ceasefire, Bruce stated.
While the UAE has yet to release an official statement on the meeting between Rubio, Sheikh Mohammed, and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Sheikh Mohammed on Monday.
The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, has been floated as a potential location for future peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, which marks its third anniversary on Monday. Saudi Arabia is also reportedly being considered as a possible venue for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Notably, the meeting took place at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi, a biennial event where both Ukraine and Russia have showcased weapons.
During his visit, Rubio also toured Abu Dhabi’s Abrahamic Family House, a complex that houses a Catholic church, a Jewish synagogue, and an Islamic mosque, symbolizing interfaith dialogue and cooperation.
