Despite high tensions between the Trump administration and some of America’s closest allies over tariffs and Ukraine, foreign ministers from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies who were meeting this week in Canada forged common ground in a communiqué that glossed over many of their sharp differences.
Top diplomats from Canada, the host of the gathering, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the European Union meeting at the idyllic resort town of La Malbaie in Charlevoix, Quebec, presented a cautiously united front, notably on Ukraine, a key point of divergence since President Trump took office.
In a statement released on Friday, the group affirmed its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and committed to supporting the “political aspirations” of Israelis and Palestinians, although it did not mention support for a two-state solution.
Reaching some consensus on Ukraine and Russia was considered a feat given Mr. Trump’s public criticism of Kyiv, although the group’s language on the subject was less vehement than in past years.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio found himself among allies in difficult circumstances, especially with his Canadian hosts, who resent Mr. Trump’s talk of annexing their country and turning it into “the 51st state.”
That rhetoric, which loomed over the 48 hours that ministers spent together in Quebec, drew a sharp rebuke from Canada’s foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, who told reporters on Friday that she had told Mr. Rubio that “Canada’s sovereignty is not up to debate, period.”
“There’s no argument, there’s no conversation about it, there’s no need to talk about it,” she added. “You’re here, you respect us, you respect our sovereignty, you’re in our country, you respect our people. Period.”
Canada has also been more assertive in demanding that allies stand up for its sovereignty, but ministers in Quebec walked a fine line between supporting Canada and avoiding getting on the wrong side of Mr. Trump.
Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, and Kaja Kallas, the top European Union diplomat, posted photos of themselves dressed in red and white, Canada’s national colors. “We’ve got your back,” their post, addressed to Ms. Joly, said.
“Borders are inviolable,” Ms. Baerbock told journalists on Friday, “in Ukraine, in Greenland, in Panama, in Canada and anywhere in the world.”
Mr. Trump on Thursday threatened to slap 200 percent tariffs on European Union exports of alcohol, a message that went down badly with France and Italy, the bloc’s major alcohol-exporting nations among the Group of 7.
And more tariffs are looming on April 2, as Mr. Trump has promised a comprehensive reboot in the United States’ trade relationship with the world, applying what he calls “reciprocal” tariffs on trading partners globally.
At the center of the storm was Mr. Rubio, making his first appearance at an international summit since he became Mr. Trump’s top diplomat.
It was an awkward assignment for Mr. Rubio, given the anger and confusion over Mr. Trump’s policies among the officials at the meeting, and there were signs that he was not eager to spend more time with them than necessary. Mr. Rubio was notably absent from a Wednesday social event at which other ministers nibbled on s’mores and from another event on Thursday that featured Canadian maple taffy.
Complicating the situation for Mr. Rubio was the shadow of Mr. Trump’s talk of annexing the gathering’s host nation.
When asked by reporters on Monday about the president’s recent talk that a 1908 treaty delineating the U.S.-Canada border could be torn up, Mr. Rubio briefly seemed at a loss for words. He then dismissed the topic by saying that it was “not on the agenda” for the Group of 7 gathering.
Asked again on Wednesday about Mr. Trump’s threats, Mr. Rubio emphasized points of unity between the United States and Canada, adding: “It is not a meeting about how we’re going to take over Canada.”
Mr. Trump returned to the subject on Thursday, telling reporters in the Oval Office that “Canada only works” as an American state. The border treaty, he added, had created “an artificial line” that “makes no sense.”
On Friday, Ms. Joly and Mr. Rubio each made comments characterizing the relationship between their two countries in nearly identical ways: “We won’t let things that we don’t agree on stop us from agreeing on other things,” Ms. Joly said.
In his final remarks to reporters in Quebec, Mr. Rubio said: “We were not going to allow the things we disagree on — we’ll disagree on things — to keep us from working closely on the things we agree on.”
And whatever tense words he may have had with Ms. Joly in private, Mr. Rubio showed no sign of irritation, taking care to thank her for hosting and adding that she had “become a friend in the last few weeks.”
The group’s final statement affirmed Ukraine’s “territorial integrity and right to exist,” and referred to Russian “acts of aggression.” But it was milder than the G7’s previous leaders’ statement, in November 2024, which proclaimed “unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes” and called Russia “the sole obstacle” to peace.
The post G7 Foreign Ministers Keep Tensions in Check to Agree on Ukraine Policy appeared first on New York Times.
