G7 ministers meet in Canada amid rising tension with US

Meeting comes as Washington looks to end Russia-Ukraine conflict

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly shakes hands with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as G7 foreign ministers gathered in Quebec on Thursday. AP

Foreign ministers from the world’s seven leading democracies gathered in La Malbaie, Quebec, in Canada on Thursday as tension with the US continues to rise over threats of tariffs and Washington's approach to the Israel-Gaza war and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The meeting in the picturesque village on the bank of the St Lawrence river comes as US President Donald Trump threatens to impose a 200 per cent tariff on some EU products, and as Russia appears poised to reject Washington's proposal for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, which Kyiv had already accepted. It also comes as Gaza ceasefire negotiations continue in Qatar, as a fragile ceasefire continues to hold between Hamas and Israel.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly opened the event by calling for ways to "continue to support Ukraine in the face of Russia's illegal aggression". She added that "we want to foster long-term stability as well in the Middle East in the interest of all the people in the region".

Ms Joly met her US counterpart Marco Rubio on Thursday as relations between the two countries continue to deteriorate after Mr Trump's increasingly antagonistic rhetoric on tariffs.

Mr Trump has repeatedly called for the annexation of Canada and expressed a desire to see it become the “51st state”. He also has placed major tariffs on Canada, in breach of the free-trade agreement he negotiated and signed with Ottawa and Mexico during his first term. Canada has responded with its own 25 per cent tariffs on $50 billion worth of goods. Incoming Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he is ready to sit down with Mr Trump only if there is “respect for Canadian sovereignty”.

Mr Rubio said he has no plans to discuss Mr Trump's 51st state comments while in Canada, though he is certain to be pressed on the issue by media.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and EU Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas appeared to co-ordinate outfits, with Ms Baerbock wearing a white dress and Ms Kallas a red one in a show of solidarity with Canada.

The Secretary of State arrived in Canada by way of Saudi Arabia, where he led talks with Ukraine that ultimately led to Kyiv agreeing to a 30-day ceasefire. Mr Rubio has said the ball is now in Russia’s court. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday the deal would give his country "nothing", while allowing Ukrainian forces a badly needed reprieve.

The ministers also attempted to tackle issues in the Middle East. During a session on the region, with regard to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the sides could not come to agreement on language surrounding a two-state solution as well as the West Bank, a source told The National.

The G7 meeting is taking place at the same resort at which the group met in 2018, when Mr Trump left abruptly, accusing Justin Trudeau, Canadian prime minister at the time, of making false statements.

Mr Trump had been threatening to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium, and that threat ultimately led to a renewed free-trade agreement signed by the US, Canada and Mexico in 2020. Fast-forward to today and Mr Trump has enacted those tariffs, which have led to consternation and retaliation by some of America's closest allies.