WASHINGTON (AP) — 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.
Officials from both sides blamed scheduling challenges for preventing the pair, who last met at the Munich Security Conference in Germany last month, from meeting in Washington.
However, European officials said they were caught off guard, and, notably, Kallas had previewed her planned talks with Rubio just two days earlier.
In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has thrown the partnership between the U.S. and Europe into turmoil by pledging to charge higher taxes on imports from Europe that he says will match tariffs faced by American products. EU officials have traveled to Washington trying to head off a trade war.
Top Trump administration officials also have warned Europe that it …