Foreign ministers from the world's leading Western democracies meet in France this week against the backdrop of wars in Iran and Ukraine, economic uncertainty, and mounting unease over an increasingly unpredictable U.S. foreign policy.
The two-day gathering at the restored 12th-century Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay, about 40 km (25 miles) southwest of Paris, brings together ministers from the G7 - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S. - alongside the European Union.
The grouping, which first met as six in nearby Rambouillet 50 years ago, traditionally approached its core economic and geopolitical challenges with a broad consensus.
That cohesion has frayed since Donald Trump returned to the U.S. presidency in 2025.
Allies and adversaries alike have spent the past year scrambling to respond to abrupt U.S. policy shifts, from tariffs to Ukraine, and now the Middle East conflict, which European diplomats and officials say lacks clear objectives or an exit strategy.
France's army chief on Wednesday bemoaned Washington's unpredictability, saying it was impacting allies' interests and security.
"The U.S. attitude is an element of destabilisation of the international system for all players, not only for members of the G7, but also for China, (and) for many, many countries in the world," said Thomas Gomart, director of the Paris-based French Institute of International Relations.
Underscoring the break from past practice, officials have abandoned efforts to craft an agreed all-encompassing final communique to avoid open tensions.
A top priority for Washington's partners will be a debriefing from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will attend the meeting's second day on Friday.
Officials said allies are hoping to get greater clarity on the U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran and on whether any meaningful diplomatic channel exists to end the conflict.
Talks will also focus on the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed, choking about a fifth of global oil supplies.
Ministers from Brazil, India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, all key economic heavyweights whose alignment is pivotal on global security, energy, and diplomatic crises, will also attend.
Meanwhile, negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine have stalled, and European officials fear that the U.S. - which has led negotiation efforts and pursued a rapprochement with Moscow - could push Kyiv into an unfavourable peace deal ahead of U.S. midterm elections in November.
European officials said they would stress to Rubio that such an outcome would be unacceptable, arguing instead for tougher sanctions on Russia and immediate efforts to prepare Ukraine for another winter of war.
These should include safeguarding its energy sector, repeatedly targeted by Russian attacks, as well as continuing military support for Kyiv, they said.
"We will reiterate firm support for Kyiv and for U.S. mediation efforts, stressing the need to maintain strong pressure on Moscow through sanctions," an Italian diplomatic source said.
Ukraine's foreign minister will attend the talks.
The meeting also feeds into French priorities ahead of its G7 leaders' summit in the Alps next June, including how to address global imbalances and the crisis of multilateralism. Paris has sought to associate China more closely with those discussions.
One area where officials see potential consensus during the French presidency is the creation of a G7 task force to tackle drug smuggling.
Russian air attacks on major Ukrainian centres including Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv killed at least five people and wounded dozens early on Tuesday, aut...
Kazakhstan is open to expanding its oil export routes through Azerbaijan and advancing joint energy infrastructure projects across the Caspian region,...
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova praised Georgia for resisting Western pressure (30 May), defending its national interests and pu...
More than 1,500 pages of government documents relating to Peter Mandelson's appointment and tenure as UK ambassador to the U.S. have been published, r...
As Armenia approaches parliamentary elections, Russia appears to be increasing political and economic pressure on Yerevan, signalling that closer inte...
Kazakhstan is open to expanding its oil export routes through Azerbaijan and advancing joint energy infrastructure projects across the Caspian region, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov told AnewZ in an exclusive interview in Baku.
As Armenia approaches parliamentary elections, Russia appears to be increasing political and economic pressure on Yerevan, signalling that closer integration with the EU could lead to significant changes in labour, transport and energy arrangements between the two countries.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has withdrawn the appointment of a senior U.S. official to a top leadership role because of delays in U.S. payments, according to a statement published on Monday (1 June).
Turkish authorities have launched an investigation into a passenger bus crash in southwestern Türkiye that killed eight people and injured 33 others over the weekend.
U.S. rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, performed to a crowd of 118,000 people in Istanbul on Saturday night, marking his first concert in Europe in more than a decade, despite being barred from performing in several countries over past antisemitic remarks.
Okinawa lost transport links and suffered widespread power outages on Monday (1 June) as Severe Tropical Storm Jangmi brought destructive winds and heavy rain to Japan's south-western islands.
Donald Trump said he is “in no hurry” to reach a deal with Iran, insisting the U.S. is slowly getting what it wants. He warned military action remains an option if talks fail. Meanwhile, U.S. forces said they fired a missile at a vessel trying to breach Washington’s blockade of Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held talks with Lebanese President and Israeli Prime Minister on efforts to ease tensions between Israel and Lebanon. According to a U.S. official, Washington has proposed a plan aimed at achieving a gradual de-escalation of hostilities.
The World Health Organisation’s designation of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is a stark reminder that Ebola remains a persistent global health threat rather than a disease of the past.
Russian air attacks on major Ukrainian centres including Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv killed at least five people and wounded dozens early on Tuesday, authorities said, after days of warnings that Moscow was planning a major assault.
More than 1,500 pages of government documents relating to Peter Mandelson's appointment and tenure as UK ambassador to the U.S. have been published, revealing private exchanges with ministers, criticism of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and details of the vetting process that preceded his appointment.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has withdrawn the appointment of a senior U.S. official to a top leadership role because of delays in U.S. payments, according to a statement published on Monday (1 June).
China's Coast Guard said on Monday it had carried out what it described as "law enforcement" patrols in waters east of Taiwan, saying the move was a response to plans by Japan and the Philippines to begin maritime boundary delimitation talks in an area Beijing claims falls under its jurisdiction.
As the World Cup kick-off approaches, teams from across the globe arrive with contrasting narratives, some seeking redemption, others chasing history, and a few hoping simply to belong.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment