US Secretary of State Marco Rubio found common ground with his counterparts at the Group of 7 (G7) foreign ministers’ meeting in Canada, despite high tensions between President Donald Trump and some allies over tariffs and Ukraine. The group’s communiqué glossed over differences, particularly on Ukraine, where Trump has been critical of Kyiv.
Canada’s foreign minister Mélanie Joly rebuked Mr. Rubio for comments made about annexing the country, saying “there’s no argument, there’s no conversation about it.” Despite this, the group reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and committed to supporting Israeli-Palestinian aspirations without mentioning a two-state solution.
The meeting took place amid Trump’s public criticism of Kyiv and his promise of 200% tariffs on European Union alcohol exports. However, diplomats from Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Britain, the US, and the EU presented a cautiously united front.
Key points from the G7 statement include support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and right to exist, as well as condemnation of Russian aggression. The meeting marked a relative success in bridging differences between Trump’s policies and those of his closest allies.
In a separate development, Secretary of State Rubio expelled South African ambassador Ebrahim Rasool over comments he made on a conservative news site, branding Mr. Trump’s movement as “supremacist.”
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/14/world/canada/g7-ukraine-policy-trump-tariffs.html