European Union prepares "Plan B" if Trump withdraws from Ukraine peace talks

The European Union is preparing a "plan B" on how it will maintain economic sanctions on Russia if the Trump administration abandons peace talks in Ukraine and seeks a rapprochement with Moscow, the top European Union diplomat said, according to the Financial Times. "Whether or not the Americans will leave [the talks] is a question. We are seeing signs that they are considering whether they should leave Ukraine instead of trying to make a deal with Russia because it is difficult," said European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Karas. Earlier, a spokesperson for US Secretary of State Rubio said: "If there is no progress, the United States will withdraw from the role of mediator in this process." Mr. Karas said there was a "plan B" to maintain economic pressure on Russia if Hungary blocked an extension of European Union economic sanctions in July, but stressed that Brussels remained focused on keeping all member states aligned.