• Analysis
G7 Paris Meeting Opens with Europe Set to Press US on Ukraine Peace and Iran
G7 foreign ministers meet in Paris from Monday for two days of talks, where European powers plan to press the United States to seek a fair settlement for Ukraine and to deter further US military action against Iran.
Europe's two asks of Washington
At the G7 Paris meeting, ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States sit down with two European priorities on the table. The first is Ukraine: with Russia's full-scale invasion approaching its fifth anniversary, Europeans plan to press Washington to seek a fair settlement for Kyiv, worried it must not be forced to accept disadvantageous conditions.
The second is Iran. Europeans want to deter the US from further strikes - Trump has not ruled out new attacks, including at Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected nuclear site Tehran denies is such a facility - and hope to see shipping traffic return to normal in the Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio attends both days
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will attend both days of the talks, unlike the March meeting where he stayed for only one. The trip is his first abroad since the midterms, which US media have read through the lens of his being seen as a potential candidate to succeed Trump.
Asked about the Republicans' midterm loss, Rubio declined to comment directly.
"It is not uncommon to have a division of power in this country."
Rubio also said he was not worried about protests in France, saying he trusted US counterparts on the ground who advised him it is safe to attend.
A presidency drawing to a close
The ministerial is one of the final acts of the French G7 presidency, which this summer saw President Emmanuel Macron host Donald Trump for the leaders' summit in the lakeside resort of Evian. A few logistical notes frame the gathering:
- •The meeting was originally planned for Marseille but was moved to Paris at the last minute, with only scheduling reasons given for the change.
- •Marseille will still host the launch of a network of 14 global ports uniting to combat drug trafficking, according to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
- •Washington will take over the G7 presidency from France in 2027.
Chernobyl donor conference on the sidelines
On Monday, the French finance ministry hosts a donor conference on the sidelines to raise money to repair the dome protecting the nuclear reactor that exploded in Ukraine's Chernobyl in 1986, damaged in a Russian strike last year. Around 500 million euros are required, but only just over half has been raised, with a target of spring 2027 to gather the rest.
