CHARLEVOIX: Host Canada called on Thursday on the Group of Seven powers to back Ukraine against Russia’s “aggression” as a more conciliatory approach toward Moscow by Donald Trump’s United States split the club of wealthy democracies.

Canada, the current G7 president, is gathering its foreign ministers for three days of talks inside a rustic hotel in snow-dusted Charlevoix, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec.

Once broadly unified, the G7 — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — has been rattled since the return of Trump, who has reached out to Russia and slapped punishing trade tariffs on close allies and competitors alike.

Before the full talks, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly met separately with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the highest-level US official to visit since the return of Trump, who has taunted the United States’ northern neighbour as the “51st state.” Rubio and Joly exchanged pecks on the cheek and shook hands before sitting next to US and Canadian flags. They did not respond to questions.

Rubio urges Group of Seven to avoid ‘antagonistic’ language towards Moscow

Joly, opening the formal session of the G7, said that she hoped to find ways in which the powers “continue to support Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal aggression.” “We all want to see just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” she said.

Rubio has said that he wants the G7 to avoid “antagonistic” language toward Russia, saying it would hinder diplomacy that could end a war that has killed tens of thousands of people.

Since Trump took over from Joe Biden, US statements often speak of the “Russia-Ukraine conflict” rather than Russia’s “invasion” of its neighbour in 2022, which was the previous nomenclature.

Trade war divides G7

Ahead of her meeting with Rubio, Joly made clear that she would reject Trump’s threats, saying: “Canadian sovereignty is not negotiable.” Rubio on Wednesday defended Trump’s tone but said he was not planning to discuss “how we’re going to take over Canada” at the G7 talks.

The G7 meeting came just as Trump’s sweeping 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports came into effect, prompting immediate retaliation from major US trading partners. The European Union and Canada swiftly unveiled billions of dollars in counter-tariffs and France on Thursday warned of measures after Trump’s latest threat of a 200pc tariff on wine, champagne and other alcoholic drinks.

Joly said she intends to raise the issue of tariffs in “every single meeting” at the G7. Rubio said he expected his counterparts to set aside any frustration over Trump’s trade policies to work on shared goals.

“Every country in the world we expect will act in their national interest,” he added. “I think it is quite possible that we could do these things and at the same time deal in a constructive way with our allies and friends,” Rubio said.

Even Japan, so reliant on American security guarantees, has found itself in Trump’s firing line.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2025