European foreign ministers told United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday that Europe must have a say in any deal to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. They made the appeal in Paris as US-mediated peace talks began in Abu Dhabi.
The remarks came at a meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers, whose members include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was Rubio’s first meeting with allies since last week’s midterm elections, in which President Donald Trump’s Republican Party suffered heavy losses. The gathering gave Washington’s partners a chance to raise concerns with him directly.
Germany insists Europe must be part of talks
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, speaking after talks with Rubio, said it was “neither necessary, nor right, nor appropriate” to make a fundamental change to Europe’s security architecture. Allies have grown uneasy about Trump’s increasingly frequent comments on a new security framework for the continent.
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“Europe belongs at this table. There can be no solution without Europe – only with Europe,” he added.
Wadephul sets conditions for Russia in Abu Dhabi
Wadephul said the Abu Dhabi discussions must show whether Russia is “genuinely prepared to negotiate”. He urged Moscow to give up what he called maximalist demands and warned against any “negotiation show” in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
He also pointed to continuing Russian attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure. In his view, Moscow had made “no substantial contribution whatsoever” toward negotiations gaining serious momentum.
Allies voice concern over US policy and Iran
Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, was due to join a session on Ukraine in Paris on Tuesday. Before leaving for the meeting, he said, “No one has the right to decide our fate behind our backs.”
The meeting, which runs for two days and overlaps with the Russia-Ukraine talks scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, comes as G7 members have grown increasingly uneasy about Washington’s direction. Their concerns include the scaling back of support for Ukraine and of sanctions on Russia, as well as what they see as a more unilateral US course.
Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Korea and Brazil are also attending. Iran is expected to feature prominently on Tuesday. G7 allies have repeatedly expressed scepticism about the US and Israeli war on Iran, and fear that further US military action could deepen the crisis rather than resolve it.
Rebecca Collard, a correspondent reporting from Paris, said the first day of talks ended with little clarity on US policy after the midterm elections. She said Tuesday’s agenda would include a session on instability in the Middle East, adding that a larger question was also on the table: the future of the multilateralism that has shaped relations among these countries for decades.
