The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has extended an open invitation to the newly appointed US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to attend an EU meeting in Brussels, diplomats said on Friday.
The EU is working to establish ties with President Donald Trump’s administration, which was inaugurated for a second term this week.
The 27 Member States are particularly keen to avoid the imposition of tariffs on European products.
They also want to ensure the US remains an ally as Trump promises to quickly end the Russia-Ukraine war, although the terms are unclear and cause concern.
There is a fear that the end of Washington’s support for Kyiv could force Ukraine into painful concessions to Moscow.
US Senator Marco Rubio (c) with members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee after a committee hearing on 15 January 2025 on his nomination as Secretary of State. Credit: AFP / Belga
"In my letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, I extended an open invitation for him to join one of our meetings as soon as possible," Kallas wrote to EU foreign ministers, according to diplomats. They added that Kallas has not yet received a response.
The 27 EU foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss relations with the US, among other topics.
Donald Trump has not hidden his animosity towards the EU, accusing it of treating the US "unfairly" and highlighting the "hundreds of billions of dollars" in the US trade deficit with Europe.
Kallas has not yet had a phone conversation with Rubio. The only publicly disclosed conversation between the US Secretary of State and a high-ranking European diplomat was with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.
