Rubio says mineral deal ‘not main topic on agenda’ in Ukraine meeting

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters connected Monday that the mineral deal, sought by President Donald Trump, is "not the main taxable connected the agenda" for the gathering acceptable with the Ukrainian delegation successful Saudi Arabia connected Tuesday. 

"I wouldn't prejudge time astir whether oregon not we person a minerals deal," helium told reporters connected committee a formation to Saudi Arabia. "It's an important topic, but it's not the main taxable connected the agenda.

"The minerals woody is connected the array that's continuing to beryllium worked connected – it's not portion of this conversation, per se," helium said, noting that Tuesday's gathering successful Jeddah tin beryllium considered palmy adjacent without securing specified an agreement.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with the media connected his subject airplane arsenic helium flies to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 10, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

LITHUANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: ONLY WAY TO NEGOTIATE WITH RUSSIA IS WITH A 'GUN ON THE TABLE'

"It's surely a woody the president wants to spot done, but it doesn't needfully person to hap tomorrow," Rubio added. 

The Ukrainian delegation is acceptable to see Andriy Yermak, caput of the statesmanlike office, Andrii Sybiha, curate of overseas affairs, Pavlo Palisa, colonel of equipped forces of Ukraine and an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, arsenic good arsenic Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who was not lone progressive successful archetypal talks with Russia pursuing its February 2022 invasion, but who besides survived a poisoning onslaught aft a bid gathering successful March that year. 

Rubio volition conscionable with the delegation successful the metropolis of Jeddah astir noon section clip connected Tuesday.

"The important constituent successful this gathering is to found intelligibly their intentions, their desire, arsenic they've said publically now, galore times, to scope a constituent wherever bid is possible," Rubio said, adding that helium volition request to beryllium assured that Kyiv is prepared to marque immoderate hard decisions, similar giving up territory seized by Russia, successful bid to extremity the three-year war. 

Ukraine's National Police said 7 radical are dormant and 5 wounded successful a mortar onslaught eastbound of Kyiv, successful Makariv. (National Police of Ukraine)

"Both sides request to travel to an understanding," helium said. "The Russians can't conquer each of Ukraine, and evidently it volition beryllium precise hard for Ukraine, successful immoderate tenable clip period, to benignant of unit the Russians backmost each the mode to wherever they were successful 2014. So the lone solution to this warfare is diplomacy and getting them to a array wherever that's possible.

 "Then we'll person to find however acold they are from the Russian position, which we don't cognize yet either. And past erstwhile you recognize wherever some sides genuinely are, it gives you a consciousness of however large the disagreement is and however hard it's going to be," Rubio explained. "I'm hoping it'll beryllium a affirmative enactment on those lines."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio greets well-wishers upon accomplishment astatine King Abdulaziz International Airport successful Jeddah connected March 10, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

EU CHIEF DIPLOMAT WARNS TRUMP PUTIN 'DOESN'T WANT PEACE'

Steve Witkoff, peculiar envoy to the Middle East who has progressively been progressive with the talks regarding Ukraine and Russia, told Fox News’ Dana Perino connected "America’s Newsroom" Monday morning, that the Trump medication has "gone a agelong way" to "narrow the differences" erstwhile dealing with Moscow and to get it to the negotiating array – though helium did not spell into detail. 

Witkoff suggested relations with Ukraine began to erstwhile again amended aft Zelenskyy sent Trump a missive successful which helium apologized for the Oval Office speech that went sour precocious past period aft helium refused to motion a mineral woody and angered the Trump medication – resulting successful a bid of explosive outbursts connected unrecorded TV. 

While a mineral woody is improbable to beryllium achieved this week, according to Rubio, helium said helium hopes that with a palmy gathering successful Jeddah, helium tin unafraid the resumption of assistance to Ukraine, though helium did not item if this would see the antiaircraft assistance the Trump medication halted, contempt Russia’s continued bombardment against Ukrainian targets, oregon the quality sharing which the U.S. besides stopped pursuing the Oval Office showdown. 

"The intermission successful assistance broadly is thing I anticipation we tin resolve," Rubio said. "I deliberation what happens time volition beryllium cardinal to that."

Trump and Zelensky were progressive successful an Oval Office shouting match. (Fox News )

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Rubio besides said that Russia volition spot its ain consequences if it doesn’t hold to negociate connected ending the warfare successful Ukraine, including further sanctions. 

"It should beryllium wide to everyone that the United States has tools disposable to besides enforce costs connected the Russian broadside of this equation," Rubio said. "But we anticipation it doesn't travel to that. 

"What we're hoping is that some sides recognize that this is not a struggle that tin extremity by subject means," helium added. 

On Friday, successful a posting connected the Truth Social platform, Trump threatened Russia with "large standard Banking Sanctions, Sanctions and Tariffs," until a ceasefire and bid colony are reached.