On Wednesday (12/11/2025), the G7 foreign ministers called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, while expressing their “steadfast” support for the country’s territorial integrity, at the conclusion of their meeting in Canada.
The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States declared in a joint statement that “there is an urgent need for an immediate ceasefire.”
At their last meeting this year, G7 foreign ministers renewed their support for Ukraine, endorsed the US peace plan for Gaza and boosted cooperation on critical minerals but avoided addressing Washington’s attacks on boats in the Caribbean or trade tensions.
In a joint statement, the seven countries agreed to increase “the economic cost to Russia” as well as explore “measures against countries and entities” that finance Moscow.
They also expressed their “strong support” for US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, and expressed concern about the restrictions that Israel continues to impose on the flow of humanitarian aid.
Attacks on boats were not on the agenda
But at no point did the G7 address US attacks against boats supposedly serving drug trafficking in the Caribbean, despite the fact that shortly before the official start of the talks, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrault said that Paris was “concerned” and that military operations “disregarded international laws.”
At the conclusion of the meeting, both US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the meeting’s host, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, stated that the group had never responded to the attacks.
Rubio strongly insisted that the countries present did not raise this issue with him, neither within the framework of the G7 nor in bilateral meetings.
He said frankly: “No one discussed it with me. No one discussed it in the meeting, nor with me. Maybe they discussed it among themselves.”
Later, Rubio denied that Europe could interfere in American politics.
He added, “I do not think that the European Union can determine what international law is. They certainly cannot determine how the United States defends its national security. The United States is under attack by criminal terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere and the president (Trump) is responding in defense of our country.”
Trump’s tariffs and a message to China regarding Taiwan
Another topic avoided at the meeting was the tariffs imposed by the United States on the rest of the world that have caused tensions with its allies.
A visibly upset Anand said, at reporters’ insistence, that she did not discuss tariffs or the resumption of Canada-U.S. trade negotiations with Rubio, because they were not in her portfolio.
“I am here as Foreign Minister,” she said, adding that “trade issues are the responsibility of my colleague Dominique LeBlanc.”
In their joint statement, the G7 stressed “the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait” and rejected “the use of force or coercion” to change the status quo in the region, a signal that directly targets China.
The Foreign Ministers also requested increased financial and individual contributions to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2793 on Haiti, and urged the Haitian government to set a timetable for elections.
The group of countries finally agreed to strengthen cooperation in critical minerals – while diversifying supply chains – and in maritime security, while protecting underwater infrastructure and ports against hybrid threats and drug trafficking.
JC (EFE, AFP, Reuters)
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