Canada called Thursday on the Group of Seven powers to back Ukraine against Russia's "aggression" as US President Donald Trump's more conciliatory approach toward Moscow split the club of wealthy democracies.
Canada, the current G7 president, is gathering foreign ministers for three days of talks inside a rustic hotel in snow-dusted Charlevoix, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec.
Once broadly unified, the G7 -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States -- has been rattled since the return of Trump, who has reached out to Russia and slapped punishing trade tariffs on close allies and competitors alike.
Before the full talks, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly sat down with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the highest-level US official to visit since the inauguration of Trump who has taunted the United States' northern neighbor as the "51st state."
Canada put its maple-leaf flag next to the US Stars and Stripes in a meeting room where Joly and Rubio exchanged French-style pecks on the cheek and shook hands. They did not respond to questions and issued no statements.
Joly, opening the formal session of the G7, said she hoped to find ways to "continue to support Ukraine in the face of Russia's illegal aggression."
"We all want to see just and lasting peace in Ukraine," she said.
Rubio has called for the G7 to avoid "antagonistic" language toward Russia, saying it would hinder US diplomacy that could end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people.
Since Trump took over from president Joe Biden, US statements have switched from referring to Russia's "invasion" or "aggression" against its neighbor since 2022 to speaking of the "Russia-Ukraine conflict."
Ukraine, under heavy pressure from Trump who briefly cut off aid, agreed with Rubio in talks Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday voiced general support for a ceasefire but suggested he wanted to speak to Trump about it.
Compromise emerging on statement
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned that "peace in Europe will only come through strength."
"What good is a ceasefire that would then lead to even more suffering, destruction and war in Europe after two or four years?" she said on the sidelines of the G7 talks.
Diplomats said the G7 statement may paper over broader differences on Ukraine by focusing on backing the ceasefire plan.
If the G7 cannot put together a common statement, "it only benefits countries like China and Russia and sends a message to the Global South," Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Toshihiro Kitamura said.
A diplomat from another country, speaking on condition of anonymity, expected a statement to come together and said it was no small feat considering the level of disagreement.
"Everyone is sticking to their positions, although not in a way that seeks to attack others," he said.
Just as Rubio was meeting in Quebec, Trump doubled down in his rhetoric by saying that Canada "only works as a state" of the United States.
"This would be the most incredible country visually. If you look at a map, they drew an artificial line right through it between Canada and the US," Trump told reporters in Washington.
Baerbock sported a white suit and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas a red dress -- leading the two to say that they chose their colors to show solidarity with Canada.
Trade war
The G7 meeting came just as Trump's sweeping 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports came into effect Wednesday, leading the European Union and Canada to unveil billions of dollars in counter-tariffs.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said he raised concerns about the steel and aluminum tariffs in a meeting with Rubio, warning that Americans would be economically hurt.
Kallas said that China -- identified by Trump as the top competitor to the United States -- gained from the trade war Washington was waging on its allies.
"Laughing at the side is China. It's definitely benefiting from this. So there are no winners. Eventually, the consumers end up paying more," she told CNN from the talks.
By Shaun Tandon and Ben Simon, AFP
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