Europe Worries Trump May Wreck Chunk of Merkel’s Legacy
- EU cut out of U.S.-led talks between Serbia and Kosovo
- Grenell sidelines EU counterparts with White House meeting
Angela Merkel at the NATO summit in Dec. 2019.
Photographer: Peter Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images
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European Union diplomats are furious that President Donald Trump shut them out of talks between Serbia and Kosovo, fearing not only that EU interests will be sidelined but that the two countries’ long-term interests will suffer.
Three officials familiar with the behind-the-scenes maneuvering in the Balkans said the transatlantic snub ignores years of EU efforts at reconciliation between the two sides and they suspect the main focus for U.S. Special Envoy Richard Grenell is delivering a quick win for his boss. Ahead of November elections, it could burnish his chances to be secretary of state in a second Trump term.