The son of migrants from Cuba, an ex-special forces officer and an office trader. Who represents the US in negotiations with Russia

Saudi Arabia will host talks between Russia and the United States on February 18 to discuss the conflict in Ukraine. The Russian delegation will be headed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and presidential aide Yuriy Ushakov. The American side will be represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House National Security Advisor Mike Walz and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steven Whitkoff. Who US President Donald Trump has chosen for negotiations with Russia - in the material "Izvestia".

Marco Rubio - US Secretary of State

- Marco Rubio was born in a family of migrants from Cuba, who moved to the United States before the Cuban Revolution. They received American citizenship already after their son was born. Rubio's family returned to Cuba for a time, but left when Fidel Castro came to power. Rubio's grandfather was once nearly deported as an illegal migrant, but the removal order was not enforced.

- Rubio earned a law degree in 1996. He took out a $100,000 student loan and was only able to pay it off 16 years later, when he had already spent eight years in the Florida House of Representatives and was elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time. In 2018, he was named the second poorest U.S. senator with a total debt of $1.2 million.

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- In 2016, Rubio participated in the Republican primaries, hoping to become a candidate for the U.S. presidency. He actively criticized Trump, mocked his tan and even jokingly said that Trump wet himself after debating him. Rubio eventually lost the primaries and even announced his complete retirement from politics, but then changed his mind. He changed his attitude toward Trump and became one of his supporters.

- Rubio spent 14 years in the U.S. Senate and earned a reputation as one of the most conservative politicians in the country. He supported, among other things, initiatives against migrants, despite the origin of his own family. In 2025, he became the highest-ranking Hispanic politician in U.S. history upon his appointment as U.S. Secretary of State.

Mike Walz is the National Security Advisor to the President of the United States

- Mike Walz is a former military man whose service in the U.S. Army and National Guard spanned 27 years. He was a member of the Special Forces and served combat tours in Afghanistan, Africa and the Middle East. During his service, Walz was awarded the Bronze Star four times, including twice for valor. He retired with the rank of colonel.

- After four years of active duty in Special Forces, Walz transitioned to a staff position. He was director of defense policy at the Pentagon and counterterrorism adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney.

- Walz led a team to find Bowie Bergdahl, a U.S. military officer who deserted in 2009 and was captured by the Taliban (the organization is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities). The mission resulted in military casualties, and Walz publicly criticized the Barack Obama administration for organizing the rescue mission.

- In 2018, Walz entered politics and was first elected to the House of Representatives from the Republican Party. He has since been re-elected for three more terms. Walz became known as one of the most conservative members of Congress and an active Trump supporter. He is particularly remembered for his intransigent stance on China and called for a boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Walz also opposed military aid to Ukraine.

- Walz is married to Julia Nesheuot. She also served in the military and was awarded the Bronze Star. Nesheuot was the White House homeland security adviser during Trump's first term from February 2020 to January 2021.

Steven Whitkoff is the special envoy for the Middle East

- Steven Whitkoff is one of Trump's longest-standing acquaintances. In 1983, he earned a law degree and took a job at a firm whose client was the future US president. Shortly after their acquaintance, Whitkoff quit law practice and went into the real estate business. He specialized in buying cheap houses and offices, making repairs in them, after which he sold them or rented them out. At the beginning of his career, Whitkoff could fix his own plumbing, and to collect rent in problem apartments took a gun.

- Starting in the suburbs of New York City, Whitkoff expanded the business to the most expensive neighborhoods of Manhattan, Chicago, Dallas and Philadelphia. In the 1990s, he ran the business on borrowed money, for which he received a scathing article by The Wall Street Journal in 1998. It reported that Whitkoff's fortune was $2.5 billion, 80% of which he owed to banks.

- In 2020, Whitkoff was part of a group of businessmen that Trump convened to deal with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. By then they were already good friends and regularly played golf together in Florida. It was Whitkoff who was playing with Trump when he was assassinated at a golf club on September 15, 2024.

- Whitkoff had three sons. One of them, Andrew, died at the age of 22 from a drug overdose in 2011. His father planned to name a hotel in Las Vegas after him, but that project did not come to fruition. Whitkoff's other two sons are entrepreneurs - one is involved in running the family business and the other co-founded the crypto project World Liberty Financial, which is backed by Trump and his sons.