The cancelled meeting between Kaja Kallas and Marco Rubion has exposed the diplomatic hurdles that Brussels faces in the new Trump era.
The European Commission struggled on Thursday to defend its engagement with the administration of Donald Trump after an expected meeting between High Representative Kaja Kallas and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was cancelled at the last minute.
Kallas was already in Washington DC when the news broke the encounter had been called off due to “scheduling issues”. The snub left Kallas without what was supposed to be the highest-level meeting of her two-day visit to the capital.
Neither the EU nor the US side have explained the nature of the scheduling issue.
On Wednesday, Rubio attended the first Cabinet meeting hosted by Donald Trump, during which the American president launched a new tirade against the bloc.
“Look, let’s be honest, the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States,” Trump told reporters. “That’s the purpose of it, and they’ve done a good job of it. But now I’m president.”
Trump then announced his intention to slap 25% tariffs on EU-made goods, “generally speaking”. The White House has not yet published a policy decision.
The back-to-back events – the cancellation of the Kallas-Rubio meeting and the announcement of steep tariffs – cast doubt over the Commission’s ability to develop a functioning relationship with the new White House and its mercurial tenant.
Trump’s claim that he loves “the countries of Europe” but resents the EU as an organisation risks sidelining the executive and fostering divisions among member states. Hungary has already positioned itself as a staunch Trump supporter.
The fact the tariffs were announced one week after Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commissioner in charge of trade, visited Washington and met his counterparts to ease trade tensions further reinforces the impression of deteriorating ties.
Despite the public setbacks, the Commission insists its engagement with the other side of the Atlantic has been so far “good” and “positive”.
“High-level political contacts between the Commission and the US counterpart have been ongoing since the Trump administration, even in the weeks before,” Arianna Podestà, the Commission’s deputy chief spokesperson, said on Thursday.
“The important aspect is that these contacts are taking place and are focusing on what matters most for the European citizens (and) European businesses,” Podestà added.
“The reasons to be in contact are numerous, be it economical, be it geopolitical, and we continue to engage on all. And this is positive itself.”
Podestà confirmed Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission’s president, had neither met nor spoken with Trump since his inauguration in January. Both leaders took part in a G7 call earlier this week while she was in Kyiv with other Western leaders.
Von der Leyen met Trump’s vice president, JD Vance, in Paris just a few days before Vance travelled to the Munich Security Conference and delivered a blistering speech against European democracy and freedom of speech.
Vance’s denunciation came on the heels of the 90-minute phone call between Trump and Vladimir Putin, which marked the start of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. The call caught Europeans off guard and prompted a flurry of emergency meetings.
The 27 EU leaders are scheduled to meet on 6 March for a special summit.
