Marco Rubio’s visit to Riyadh, his first as secretary of state, came amid uncertainty about the future of Gaza and Ukraine and criticism of unilateral U.S. moves over the wars in both places.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arriving in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Monday. He was expected to press the Saudi leadership to propose a vision for postwar Gaza.Credit…Pool photo by Evelyn Hockstein

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived on Monday in Saudi Arabia for the second leg of a whistle-stop Middle East tour to discuss the future of both Gaza and Ukraine. The visit came amid criticism that the Trump administration was acting without consulting relevant foreign partners about the wars in both countries.

The Saudi embassy in Washington announced that Mr. Rubio met with Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi foreign minister, while a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was expected later in the day.

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

Mr. Rubio is also scheduled to meet in Riyadh on Tuesday with Russian officials to discuss the future of the Russia-Ukraine war. They will be joined by two other key U.S. officials — Mike Waltz, the national security adviser, and Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s Middle East envoy, who also works on Ukraine-Russia issues — according to Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokeswoman.

The moves prompted concern in Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe, where leaders fear being sidelined from discussions that will dictate their countries’ futures. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, reiterated in an interview that aired on 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.

Ukrainian soldiers training in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine last week.Credit…Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

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

Israeli officials were expected to meet in Cairo on Monday to iron out disagreements about sending humanitarian aid, including temporary accommodation, 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 on 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, though indicating a willingness to share administrative control of the territory, appears unwilling to disarm its military wing.

Mr. 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. The Saudi leadership has said that it will not recognize Israel if Palestinians are displaced from Gaza, or if Israel refuses to create a pathway to Palestinian sovereignty.

The discussion grew more fraught after Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, suggested that Saudi Arabia host Palestinian refugees and create a Palestinian state on Saudi soil.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry rejected Mr. Netanyahu’s statements as those of “an extremist, occupying mind-set” that fails to understand the historical and cultural significance of Palestinian land.

Here’s what else is happening in the region:

• The Israeli military said on Monday that it had killed a senior Hamas operative, Muhammad Shaheen, in a strike in Lebanon. Hamas has long maintained a presence in Lebanon and has often acted there in coordination with its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah. The strike came a day before a cease-fire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah is set to elapse. Officials hope to extend the truce, even though Israel is expected to keep troops in several positions inside the Lebanese border past the deadline.