The foreign ministers of the G7 countries are meeting today in Canada after seven weeks of rising tensions between U.S. allies and President Donald Trump, caused by shifts in foreign policy regarding Ukraine and the imposition of tariffs, IPN reports.
According to Reuters, ministers from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the U.S., along with European Union officials, aim to discuss key international topics over the course of two days.
Washington’s partners are seeking, according to the agenda, a summary of Tuesday’s discussions between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, where Ukraine announced it is ready for a 30-day ceasefire agreement.
The U.S. decision to impose a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports immediately triggered reciprocal measures from Canada and the EU, further escalating tensions, the cited source notes.
At the same time, Washington opposed a separate statement aimed at restricting Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, instead urging China to take a firm stance.
G7 diplomats stated that a positive outcome from Jeddah could, at the very least, ease discussions on Ukraine.
In the context of President Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on all Canadian imports and his remarks about annexing Canada as "the 51st state" of the U.S., Marco Rubio stated: "At the G7 meeting, we will focus on all these issues - that is the purpose of the summit. This is not a meeting about how we will annex Canada."
"At every meeting, we will address the tariff issue to coordinate a response with the Europeans and put pressure on the Americans," said Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly.
EU diplomats hope the summit will provide an opportunity to assess Marco Rubio’s influence on U.S. foreign policy.
Photo source: www.brunswickgroup.com
