U.S. President Donald Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio made his first trip to the Middle East this week. He met with leaders in Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
While Rubio’s mission was initially to talk with leaders about Gaza, Iran, and other regional issues, it was overshadowed by the meeting in Saudi Arabia between Rubio, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and their respective teams. It was the first high-level, in-person meeting of its kind since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Even at that meeting, important as it was, Rubio was not seen as the guiding hand. The United States’ position, and its stance as discussions progressed, were clearly being guided directly by Trump from afar, with Rubio acting as a mechanical mouthpiece…..more
