European diplomats press Rubio for a role in Russia-Ukraine talks

European foreign ministers have told United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Europe must have a say in any deal to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, as US-mediated peace talks get under way in Abu Dhabi. They made the appeal on Monday in Paris, at a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven, which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

It was Rubio’s first meeting with allies since last week’s midterm elections, in which President Donald Trump’s Republican Party suffered stunning losses. The meeting gave Washington’s allies a chance to air their concerns with Rubio directly amid concern about Trump’s growing rhetoric of a new security architecture for Europe.

“It is certainly neither necessary, nor right, nor appropriate to make a fundamental change” to Europe’s security architecture, said German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul after talks with Rubio. The two-day Paris meeting, which ends on Tuesday, overlaps with the talks between Russia and Ukraine, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.