G7 ministers meet in Paris to assess midterms' impact on US diplomacy
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on TimesLIVE
G7 foreign ministers meet in Paris on Monday, giving Washington’s allies a first opportunity to gauge whether Donald Trump’s defeat in the midterms changes the US approach to Ukraine and the Middle East. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make his first appearance before his counterparts since the vote, according to four G7 diplomats.
G7 foreign ministers are due to examine in Paris the effect of the US midterm elections on Washington’s policy towards Ukraine, the Middle East and its main partners. Four G7 diplomats cited by TimesLIVE believe Democratic gains could reduce the White House’s room for manoeuvre, without signalling a return to traditional multilateralism as long as Donald Trump retains control of foreign policy.
The meeting, moved from Marseille to Paris for security reasons after several weeks of protests in France, marks the first meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his allies since the elections. Ministers from Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Korea and Brazil are also taking part in the discussions, according to TimesLIVE.
Ukraine is expected to dominate the discussions ahead of trilateral talks scheduled for Tuesday in Abu Dhabi between Ukraine, Russia and the United States. European diplomats also expect to discuss differences over European diplomatic strategy, following Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s 5 November call for a common strategy to prevent Europe from losing influence in settling the war.
G7 allies are also due to examine military, financial and energy support for Ukraine, particularly amid shortages of Patriot interceptor missiles. They are also expected to discuss Iran, as several Washington allies fear that a new US military intervention could worsen the crisis, according to TimesLIVE. The meeting comes after Trump’s midterm defeat reshuffles the cards in US foreign policy and after Marco Rubio cites progress on post-war security.
