Rubio and Kallas' talks 'abruptly' canceled - Reason named
Photo: Kaja Kallas (Getty Images)
A planned meeting between European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Secretary of State Marco Rubio was abruptly canceled Wednesday due to “scheduling issues,” coming as political tensions have increased between Europe and the United States, according to the Associated Press.
Officials from both sides blamed scheduling challenges for preventing the pair, who last met at the Munich Security Conference in Germany last month.
However, European officials said they were caught off guard, and, notably, Kallas had previewed her planned talks with Rubio just two days earlier.
Kallas herself had said Monday that she would be holding talks with Rubio on the issues that are of interest to both of us, which for the EU are chiefly Russia’s war on Ukraine and transatlantic relations.
“It is clear that the statements coming from the United States make us all worried,” she told reporters after chairing a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Kallas said she hoped the EU-US relationship can continue to function.
“So far, we do not have any indication that it would not. Of course it is going to change, that is very clear. But we should not throw something out the window that has worked well so far,” she said.
A senior US official said the planned meeting, which had never appeared on Rubio’s public schedule, had been pulled down due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict.
The cancellation came less than a week after the State Department’s policy planning office sent an internal memo instructing officials who deal with Europe to highlight two specific issues in interactions with European counterparts. The Feb. 21 memo, seen by The Associated Press, also mentioned tentative plans for an upcoming Rubio meeting with Kallas.
The two issues of concern identified in the memo were Freedom of Speech and Free Opposition and Migration.
On the former, the memo said Rubio and other US diplomats should emphasize in their discussions with European officials the importance that the Trump administration attaches to free speech.
On migration, the memo said US officials, including Rubio, should refer to Europe’s de facto open borders policy as a disaster that must end.
Trump and his threats against EU
Yesterday, US President Donald Trump threatened to vow 25% tariffs against the European Union, stating that the announcement would come very soon. He also claimed that the 27-country bloc was formed "to screw" the United States.
