Rubio touches down in UAE after talks with Russia

Abu Dhabi: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday met with the leader of the United Arab Emirates, wrapping up an overseas trip that saw the highest-level outreach between the United States and Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Rubio’s talk with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also the ruler of Abu Dhabi, comes as the US also tries to continue a shaky ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the militant Hamas group.

The UAE, which diplomatically recognised Israel in 2020 during President Donald Trump’s first term, also has been key in mediating prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine.

There was no immediate readout on what Rubio, Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s foreign minister, discussed in their roughly 30-minute meeting. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Sheikh Mohammed on Monday.

Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have been discussed as possible sites for peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, which marks its third anniversary on Monday. Saudi Arabia also has been mentioned as the possible venue for a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, providing a potential diplomatic boon to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.