Foreign ministers of leading Western democracies sought to show a united front in Canada yesterday after seven weeks of rising tensions between US allies and US President Donald Trump over his upending of foreign policy on Ukraine and imposing of tariffs.
The G7 ministers from the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US, along with the EU, convened in the remote tourist town of La Malbaie, nestled in the Quebec hills, for two days of meetings that in the past have broadly been consensual on the issues they face.
Top of the agenda for Washington’s partners would be getting a debriefing on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s talks on Tuesday with Kyiv in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Ukraine said it was ready to support a 30-day ceasefire deal.
Photo: AP
However, in the run-up to the first G7 meeting of Canada’s presidency, the crafting of an agreed all-encompassing final statement has been tough with some G7 diplomats questioning Washington’s engagement in the process.
A US decision to impose 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports immediately drew reciprocal measures from Canada and the EU, underscoring the tensions.
“Under [President of the US’] @POTUS’s leadership, we are going to use forums like the G7 to counter our adversaries and stand by our allies. America First!,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X as he arrived in Canada.
Washington has sought to impose red lines on language around Ukraine and opposed a separate declaration on curbing Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, a murky shipping network that eludes sanctions, while demanding more robust language on China.
An initial draft communique, which diplomats said was unlikely to reflect final discussions and might not gain consensus, made no mention of sanctions on Russia, but did appear to be tougher on China calling on it to cease its support for Russia’s war effort.
Unlike a joint statement in November last year, when almost two pages out of eight were focused entirely on Ukraine, mostly taking aim at Russia, the initial draft includes just four carefully-worded paragraphs that are unlikely to antagonize Moscow.
On Monday, Rubio cautioned that Washington did not want language that could harm efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table.
G7 diplomats said the positive outcome from Jeddah might at least ease talks on Ukraine as the US now seeks a response from Moscow.
The US, since Trump’s return to office on Jan. 20, has taken a less-friendly stance on Ukraine, pushing for a quick deal to end the war, demanded European partners take on more of the burden without openly endorsing their role in future talks and warmed Washington’s ties with Moscow.
Even Japan, so reliant on US security guarantees, has found itself in Trump’s firing line.
“It’s very difficult. Maybe we should wait for the G8,” said one European diplomat ironically.
Trump has suggested the G8 might be revived with the return of Moscow 11 years after its membership in the group was suspended over its annexation of Crimea.
Nowhere have the difficulties for US allies been more apparent than in Canada.
Relations between the US and Canada are at an all-time low, thanks to Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on all imports from Canada and his constant musing about annexing the country to make it the 51st US state.
“It is not a meeting about how we’re going to take over Canada,” Rubio told reporters, highlighting how offbeat their ties have become.
That might not appease Ottawa. Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly on Wednesday said she would be on the offensive at the G7.
“In every single meeting, I will raise the issue of tariffs to coordinate a response with the Europeans and to put pressure on the Americans,” she said.
The two met yesterday morning for bilateral talks.
European diplomats said they hoped to use the G7 to assess directly how much influence Rubio has on US foreign policy.
Trump has used a wide array of officials not linked to the US Department of State in talks ranging from Ukraine to the situation in the Middle East, where allies have been alarmed by some of the erratic statements coming from Washington.
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