G7 ministers meet in Canada/Discussions on trade, Ukraine and Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan

2025-11-12 07:30:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

G7 ministers meet in Canada/Discussions on trade, Ukraine and Trump's Gaza

Canada is hosting foreign ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized democracies in southern Ontario for talks on defense spending, trade and uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan and efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand hosted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and their counterparts from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan at the summit held Tuesday and Wednesday.

EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kaja Kallas will also attend, as will the foreign ministers of Australia, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa and Ukraine.

"We are addressing a number of critical issues with one primary focus: putting the safety and security of Americans FIRST," Rubio said in a social media post.

Canada's hosting of the G7 summit this year has been marked by tense relations with its North American neighbor, largely due to Trump's imposition of tariffs on Canadian imports.

But the entire bloc of allies is facing major turbulence due to Trump's demands on trade and various proposals to stop conflicts around the world.

Trump recently ended trade talks with Canada because the Ontario provincial government released an anti-tariff ad in the U.S. that angered him.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney apologized for the ad and said last week that he is ready to resume trade talks when the Americans are ready.

Anand said he will meet with Rubio, but noted that another secretary is leading the U.S. trade file. The U.S. president has prioritized addressing his grievances with other nations' trade policies over cooperating with G7 allies.

“Every complex relationship has multiple touchpoints,” Anand said. “On the trade file, there is ongoing work to be done — just as there is work to be done on the multiple touchpoints outside of the trade file, and that’s where Secretary Rubio and I come in, because the relationship needs to continue on a number of issues.”

Anand said Rubio asked her during a morning meeting in Washington last month to play a role in bringing countries to the negotiating table to ensure Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan is sustainable, including a future conference on Gaza reconstruction.

Diplomats will meet Ukraine's foreign minister on Wednesday. Britain says it will send 13 million pounds to help repair Ukraine's energy infrastructure as winter approaches and Russian attacks intensify. The money will go towards repairs to electricity, heating and water supplies, as well as humanitarian support for Ukrainians.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who made the announcement before the meeting, said Russian President Vladimir Putin is "trying to plunge Ukraine into darkness and cold as winter approaches", but British support will help keep the lights on and the heating on.

A major sticking point has been defense spending. All G7 members except Japan are members of NATO, and Trump has demanded that alliance partners spend 5% of their annual gross domestic product on defense. While a number of countries have agreed, others have not. Among NATO G7 members, Canada and Italy are furthest from that goal. Anand said Canada will reach 5% of GDP by 2035.

There has also been disagreement within the G7 over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, with Britain, Canada and France announcing that they would recognize a Palestinian state even without a resolution to the conflict. With the Russia-Ukraine war, most G7 members have taken a tougher stance on Russia than Trump./ CNA