The G7 foreign ministers concluded this Wednesday in Canada their last meeting of the year in which they renewed their support for Ukraine, endorsed the US peace plan for Gaza and promoted cooperation on critical minerals but avoided addressing Washington’s attacks on boats in the Caribbean or trade tensions.
In a joint statement, the seven countries reiterated their call for an “immediate ceasefire” in Ukraine and agreed to increase “the economic cost to Russia” in addition to exploring “measures against countries and entities” that are financing Moscow.
In addition, they offered “strong support” for US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza and expressed concern about the restrictions that Israel continues to impose on the flow of humanitarian aid.
But the G7 did not at any time address the US attacks against boats supposedly serving drug trafficking in the Caribbean despite the fact that shortly before the formal start of the talks, the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said that Paris is “concerned” and that the military operations “ignore international laws.”
Rubio outlined what is discussed on the agenda
At the conclusion of the meeting, both US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the host of the meeting, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, stated that the attacks were never addressed by the group.
Rubio vehemently insisted that, neither within the framework of the G7 nor in bilateral meetings, did the countries present raise the issue with him.
«No one discussed it with me. No one at the meeting discussed it, not with me. “Maybe they have discussed it among themselves,” he stated bluntly.
Later, Rubio denied that Europe can interfere in American politics.
«I do not believe that the European Union can determine what international law is. They certainly cannot determine how the United States defends its national security. “The United States is being attacked by criminal terrorist organizations in our hemisphere and the president (Trump) is responding in defense of our country,” he added.
There was no talk of tariffs
Another topic that was avoided at the meeting was the tariffs imposed by the US on the rest of the world and which have caused tensions with its allies.
A visibly upset Anand said at the insistence of journalists that she did not discuss tariffs or the resumption of trade negotiations between Canada and the US with Rubio because it is not her portfolio.
“I am here as Foreign Minister,” she said, adding that “trade issues are the responsibility of my colleague Dominic LeBlanc.”
In their joint statement, the G7 stressed “the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait” and rejected “the use of force or coercion” to change the status quo in the region, a mention directly aimed at China.
The foreign ministers also requested increased financial and personnel contributions to implement UN Security Council resolution 2793 on Haiti and urged the Haitian government to set an electoral calendar.
The group of countries finally agreed to strengthen cooperation in critical minerals – with the diversification of supply chains – and in maritime security, with the protection of underwater infrastructures and ports against hybrid threats and drug trafficking.
