European ministers to press Washington on Ukraine and restrain its Iran escalation at Paris G7 meeting
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G7 foreign ministers are meeting in Paris to push for a fair Ukraine settlement and to discourage more U.S. military action against Iran, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attending both days.
Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven gathered in Paris on Monday for a two-day session aimed at pressing the United States to support a balanced settlement for Ukraine and to deter further strikes on Iran. The ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States echoed concerns similar to those raised at the March meeting, underscoring the persistent transatlantic tensions over war and diplomacy.
The war in Ukraine is approaching its fifth anniversary, and Washington has kept the option of new attacks on Iran open despite the recent U.S. midterm elections. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will attend both days, is expected to be a central figure in the discussions, with European capitals hoping to restrain unilateral escalation.
The talks coincide with U.S.-mediated negotiations in Abu Dhabi between Moscow and Kyiv, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France would take part in those talks, stressing that “Europeans will be represented” and should not be sidelined in decisions about the continent’s future.
President Donald Trump has indicated that the United States has not ruled out further strikes on Iran, including at a site Tehran describes as a non-nuclear facility. European leaders expressed a desire for a diplomatic resolution and the restoration of normal shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, reflecting concern over the consequences of continued military brinkmanship.
“We’re dealing with them now. They want to make a deal very badly,” Trump said on Friday.
Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to the president, said the United States is working on “a broader European security architecture that can help establish the conditions for lasting peace,” language that European officials will likely scrutinize closely.
In addition to the diplomatic agenda, the French finance ministry hosted a donor conference to raise funds for repairing the protective dome at the Chernobyl nuclear site, which was damaged in a Russian strike last year. The conference aims to collect the remaining half of a 500-million-euro target by spring 2027.
While the venue was moved from Marseille to Paris for scheduling reasons, Marseille will still host the launch of a network of 14 global ports intended to combat drug trafficking, according to Barrot.
Rubio declined to comment on the recent U.S. election results, noting that “it is not uncommon to have a division of power in this country,” and said he trusted U.S. counterparts regarding security for the meeting.