David Lammy has been left red-faced after key American ministers failed to attend a Ukraine-London summit in the latest embarrassing humiliation for the UK foreign secretary.
Marco Rubio, the US foreign secretary along with US special envoy Steve Witkoff had been lined up to take part in the London Ukraine summit but both pulled out of the event with leaks suggesting Russia and the US were working to derail the discussions.
The French, Ukrainians and British still attended the meeting but questions arose as to their validity without the Americans as other significant discussions appeared to take place in Washington and Moscow.
The US was instead represented by Keith Kellogg, the White House’s Ukraine envoy with Rubio sending his 'regret' but giving no direct reason for his absence.
This isn’t the first time that Lammy has faced frosty relations with the American delegation following controversial comments by the British foreign secretary.
In January, David Lammy said the British people would be "very concerned" about the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs.
Asked whether it was time for the UK to stand up to Trump, Lammy, who was meeting Nato counterparts in Brussels, told reporters: "I regret the return to protectionism in the United States, something that we've not seen for nearly a century."
The accusation around protectionism ruffled feathers in America - as he accused the nation of attempting to boost domestic industries to shield them from foreign competition.
Questions have been raised over Lammy’s dealing with America potentially putting at risk the famed ‘special relationship’ between the nations.
Lee Cohen, a senior fellow of the Bow Group and the Bruges Group and adviser on Great Britain to the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee said: “The summit has been an embarrassment for Lammy.
"It didn't draw top level interest from the Trump Administration. His equal number Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not agree to attend. While this certainly signals no dismissal of our staunch ally, there are some challenges at stake.
“If Lammy wants to get things done, he needs to understand Trump’s all about efficient, effective results, about ending the war quickly. Perhaps they didn't see Lammy's efforts as accomplishing this. Maybe more backroom deals would’ve kept this summit on track.
“But i'm not sure Lammy's the best messenger diplomatically —his past comments calling Trump a “neo-Nazi sympathiser” don’t help.
“Even if he calls that 'old news,' it’s hard to build trust when you’ve burned bridges like that. Diplomacy needs pragmatism, not grudges.
David Lammy attended the Ukraine-London summit without the US foreign secretary attending
GB News
"The UK’s a key ally, and we value the special relationship robustly, willing to extend Britain far more favorable tariff terms including the EU, but Lammy’s got to show he can work with Trump’s team, not just lecture them.
“And he's got to have the instincts to understand them, their motivations and style. If he can’t, his efforts will keep fizzling out.”
Meanwhile Dr Azeem Ibrahim, Research Professor at the Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College and Director at the Centre for Global Policy in Washington added: “David Lammy’s much-hyped Ukraine peace summit has fallen apart, with key French, German, and US ministers pulling out - laying bare the UK’s fading diplomatic influence.
“This embarrassing failure highlights the Foreign Secretary’s staggering incompetence and marks yet another step in how our political class are pushing Britain into global irrelevance.”
