Rubio canceled meeting with European leaders on Ukraine at the last minute
According to information from The Financial Times, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was going to discuss the issue of Russia's war against Ukraine with European leaders at the Munich Security Conference, but at the last minute canceled his participation in the meeting.
Marco Rubio. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
According to the publication, the meeting was supposed to take place on February 13 in Munich with the participation of the leaders of Germany, France, Poland, and the leadership of the European Commission. However, Rubio refused to participate "due to scheduling conflicts."
An unnamed US official explained this by Rubio's large number of other planned meetings, dedicated to issues of Russia and Ukraine, within the framework of the Munich Conference.
The US, according to journalists, plans a separate meeting between Rubio and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 14.
European officials called Rubio's refusal "crazy" and noted that without US participation, the meeting lost a significant part of its substance.
The Financial Times also emphasizes that President Donald Trump's administration is increasingly distancing itself from European allies and seeks to push Ukraine towards concluding a peace agreement with Russia. Rubio's refusal to meet, according to European sources, indicates that the US is less interested in close coordination with Europe regarding conflict resolution.