U.S. Secy. of State Rubio and Saudi crown prince meet on Mon.

Ahead of the U.S.-Russia peace talks, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his Middle East tour on Monday, where the two sides are presumed to have discussed Washington-Moscow talks.

Considering close ties between U.S. President Donald Trump and bin Salman, Saudi is expected to play a mediating role in the scheduled peace dialogue.

According to a statement released by the U.S. State Department, Rubio and bin Salman also "reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the ceasefire in Gaza and ensuring that Hamas releases all hostages, including American citizens."

Rubio also discussed increasing economic and defense cooperation between the two countries.