DUBAI, United Arab Emirates >> Saudi Arabia is to host talks Tuesday between the United States and Ukraine in a new diplomatic push after an argument erupted during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Feb. 28 visit to the White House.

The oil-rich kingdom may seem like an unusual venue for talks aimed at smoothing over relations after the blowup. But Saudi Arabia under its assertive Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been positioning itself as an ideal location for possible peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow — and even the first face-to-face talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Here’s what to know about why this meeting is taking place and Saudi Arabia’s role:

Why are these talks happening?

U.S. and Ukrainian officials will meet after the Oval Office meeting between Zelenskyy, Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance descended into an extraordinary 10-minute argument before journalists.

Trump at one point admonished Zelenskyy by angrily saying: “You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country.” Zelenskyy ended up leaving the White House without signing a deal that included granting the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. Kyiv hoped that deal would ensure the continued flow of U.S. military support that Ukraine urgently needs as it battles Russia in the war that began after Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Where will these talks take place?

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry in a statement Friday identified the location for the talks as Jeddah, a port city on the Red Sea. It’s not clear why the kingdom picked Jeddah as opposed to Riyadh, the Saudi capital where the initial Russia-U.S. talks took place Feb. 18. However, Jeddah has hosted other diplomatic engagements in the past and is home to royal palaces.

The Foreign Ministry said the kingdom would continue to pursue “a lasting peace to end the Ukrainian crisis.”

“The kingdom has continued these efforts over the past three years by hosting many meetings on this matter,” the ministry said.

Who will attend the talks?

Zelenskyy plans to visit Saudi Arabia on Monday ahead of the talks. He earlier delayed a trip to the kingdom after traveling to the neighboring United Arab Emirates, which also has been considered as a possible venue for peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow.

“We continue working on the relevant steps with our partners who want peace, who want it just as much as we do,” Zelenskyy said Friday. “There will be a lot of work here in Europe, with America in Saudi Arabia — we are preparing a meeting to accelerate peace and strengthen the foundations of security.”

Zelenskyy wrote online that a team including his chief of staff Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov traveling with him to Saudi Arabia will take part in the talks. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the American team for the Ukrainian talks and meet with Prince Mohammed.

Sybiha also spoke Friday with Rubio ahead of the talks. Sybiha described it as a “constructive call.” A two-sentence readout from the State Department said Rubio “underscored President Trump is determined to end the war as soon as possible and emphasized that all sides must take steps to secure a sustainable peace.”

Trump himself sounded upbeat on Air Force One on Sunday when speaking to journalists.

“I think you’re gonna have eventually — and maybe not in the distant future — you’re gonna have some pretty good results coming out of Saudi Arabia this week,” Trump said.