G7 Foreign Ministers meet in Canada: on the agenda - Rubio's summary of the meeting with Ukraine in Jeddah
Kyiv • UNN
G7 foreign ministers are meeting in Canada amid disagreements between US allies and Trump over foreign policy and tariffs. They will discuss Ukraine and the Russian shadow fleet.
G7 foreign ministers are meeting in Canada on Thursday after seven weeks of rising tensions between US allies and United States President Donald Trump "over his foreign policy shift on Ukraine and the imposition of duties", Reuters reports, UNN writes.
Details
The "Group of Seven" ministers from Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, together with the EU, are gathering in the remote tourist town of La Malbaie, located in the hills of Quebec, for two days of meetings that in the past have generally been consensus-based on the problems they face.
The most important item on the agenda for Washington's partners will be to receive summaries of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's talks on Tuesday with Ukraine in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Ukraine said it was ready to support a 30-day ceasefire agreement.
"But on the eve of the first G7 meeting during the Canadian presidency, it was difficult to develop a coherent, comprehensive final statement," the publication writes.
The US decision to impose a 25% duty on all imports of steel and aluminum immediately caused mutual measures by Canada and the EU, which highlighted the tension, the publication points out.
"Washington has tried to impose red lines on wording regarding Ukraine and opposed a separate declaration on containing Russia's so-called shadow fleet, an opaque shipping network that avoids sanctions, while demanding tougher language on China," the publication says.
On Monday, Rubio warned that Washington is unwilling to use wording that could undermine efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he said a good G7 statement would recognize that the United States has moved the war-ending process forward.
G7 diplomats said that a positive outcome from Jeddah could at least ease negotiations on Ukraine.
Even Japan, which relies so heavily on American security guarantees, has found itself in Trump's line of fire.
"It's very difficult. Maybe we should wait for the G8," one European diplomat said ironically.
Trump suggested that the G8 could be revived after Moscow's return 11 years after its membership in the group was suspended due to the annexation of Crimea, the publication notes.
"Nowhere have the difficulties for US allies been as obvious as in Canada," the publication writes.
Relations between the United States and Canada, as indicated, are at their lowest level due to Trump's threats to impose duties on all imports from Canada and his constant reflections to make the country the 51st US state.
"We will be focused at the G7 on all of these things. That's what the meeting is about. This is not a meeting about how we are going to take over Canada," Rubio told reporters, underscoring how extraordinary their ties have become.
This may not reassure Ottawa. Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Wednesday that she will be offensive at the G7 meeting, the publication writes.
"At every meeting, I will raise the issue of duties in order to agree on a response with the Europeans and put pressure on the Americans," she said.
European diplomats said they hope to use the G7 to directly assess how much influence Rubio has on US foreign policy.
Trump has used a wide range of officials not affiliated with the State Department in negotiations, ranging from Ukraine to the situation in the Middle East, where allies have been concerned about some chaotic statements coming out of Washington, the publication notes.