G7 ministers meet on efforts to end Ukraine conflict and avert further Iran strikes

Foreign ministers from the G7 nations gathered in Paris for two days of discussions focusing on the war in Ukraine and potential US military actions against Iran. European countries aimed to persuade the US to find a fair resolution to the Ukraine conflict without further Middle East escalation. Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has been ongoing for five years.

Despite President Donald Trump's Republican party's defeat in the midterm elections, the US did not rule out new strikes against Iran, even after Trump's political setback. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, attending both days of the meeting, was unusually present, unlike in the previous March gathering. This G7 ministerial meeting marked the final act of the French presidency of the G7, following Macron's hosting of Trump in Evian earlier in the summer.

The meeting, originally scheduled for Marseille, was moved to Paris at the last minute due to scheduling reasons. Rubio's visit to Paris was his first foreign trip since the midterm elections. Washington will assume the G7 presidency from France in 2027. The meeting overlapped with US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine.

European nations were concerned that Kyiv should not be compelled to accept unfavorable conditions. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot mentioned that Europe would be represented and France would participate in Abu Dhabi talks. Trump had predicted a "very big deal" with Russia involving Ukraine and all of Europe. Jared Kushner, Trump's envoy and son-in-law, stated that the US was working on a broader European security architecture to foster lasting peace, an idea previously met with skepticism in Europe.

In response to Iran, Trump has not ruled out new strikes, even though he faced a Republican defeat in the midterm elections. Relations with Iran remain tense, with Trump asserting that Iranians "want to make a deal very badly." On the sidelines of the meeting, France's finance ministry hosted a donor conference to raise funds for repairing the Chernobyl nuclear power plant dome, damaged in a Russian strike last year.

Approximately €500 million was needed, with only over half of the amount raised thus far. The target is to secure the remaining funds by spring 2027. Although the G7 meeting was relocated to Paris, Marseille would host the launch of a network of 14 global ports aimed at combating drug trafficking. As Rubio prepared to depart for France, he declined to comment directly on Trump's and the Republicans' loss in the US midterm elections.

He expressed confidence in US counterparts on the ground, reassuring that it was safe to attend the G7 meeting in France.