The kingdom’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was once shunned in diplomatic circles. Now he is playing an important role in negotiations over Gaza and Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Monday. The meeting came a day before US and Russian officials are due to hold talks in Saudi Arabia on ending the war in Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed plans for Gaza during a meeting on Monday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. Rubio is visiting the Middle East after President Donald Trump infuriated the Arab world with a proposal for the Palestinian residents of the war-torn strip to be resettled in other Arab nations and for the U.