JERUSALEM >> The de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, met Monday with three senior members of the Trump administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who were visiting the kingdom to discuss the future of both the Gaza Strip and Ukraine.

The visit of Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Mideast envoy, came amid criticism that the Trump administration was acting without consulting relevant foreign partners about the wars in both countries.

Rubio also met earlier in the day with Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi foreign minister.

Little was released about the content of the meetings, except for a video of a brief exchange between the men in which Crown Prince Mohammed said he was glad to work with the Trump administration.

Rubio, who flew to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from Israel, and his colleagues were expected to press the Saudi leadership to propose a vision for postwar Gaza. President Donald Trump’s idea to depopulate and occupy the territory has spurred widespread opposition in the Arab world, including in Saudi Arabia. That has led Rubio and other U.S. officials to encourage Arab leaders to suggest an alternative.

Following their meeting, the state department said Rubio and the crown prince discussed developments in Gaza, with Rubio underscoring “the importance of an arrangement for Gaza that contributes to regional security,” according to Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokesperson.

The three U.S. envoys were also scheduled to meet in Riyadh on Tuesday with Russian officials to discuss the future of the Russia-Ukraine war.

In addition to angering Arab allies with his contentious proposal for Gaza, Trump frustrated partners in Europe when he spoke last week unilaterally with President Vladimir Putin of Russia about Ukraine’s future. His administration has also said that European governments will play no role in future talks, despite the conflict taking place within Europe’s borders.

The moves prompted concern in Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe, where leaders fear being sidelined from discussions that will dictate their countries’ futures. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated in an interview that aired Sunday that his country would “never” accept a peace deal struck by the United States and Russia if Ukraine was not involved in the talks.

Rubio’s visit comes amid swirling uncertainty about the future of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as the long-term governance of the territory.

Israeli officials were expected to meet Monday in Cairo to iron out disagreements about sending humanitarian aid, including temporary housing, such as tents and trailers, to Gaza. But the Israeli government has yet to decide whether to advance negotiations to extend the truce, which will lapse in early March unless Hamas and Israel restart talks. Israeli Cabinet ministers were set to gather Monday evening to debate the issue, but it was not certain that they would vote on it.

The Israeli leadership wants to avoid prolonging the truce if it allows Hamas to survive the war as a military force. But Hamas, although indicating a willingness to share administrative control of the territory, appears unwilling to disarm its military wing.

Trump has suggested ending the impasse by depopulating Gaza and sending its residents to Egypt and Jordan — a move strongly opposed by those countries as well as Saudi Arabia. The forced expulsion of Palestinians would be ethnic cleansing and a war crime, international law experts say.

The Trump administration’s proposal has created a further obstacle to Israel’s long-sought goal of normalizing diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia.