European ministers to urge US on Ukraine settlement and Iran policy at Paris G7 meeting
G7 foreign ministers will meet in Paris to discuss a fair settlement for Ukraine and to discourage further US military action against Iran, with US 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 urging the United States to pursue a balanced settlement for Ukraine and to deter additional strikes on Iran. The ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States shared concerns similar to those raised at the March meeting.
The war in Ukraine approaches its fifth anniversary, and Washington has kept the option of new attacks on Iran open despite the recent U.S. midterm elections. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will attend both days, is expected to be a focal point of the discussions.
The talks coincide with US-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, emphasizing that “Europeans will be represented.”
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.
“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.”
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 US counterparts regarding security for the meeting.