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.
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The UK is experiencing potentially record-breaking temperatures after forecasters confirmed some areas reached highs close to 34°C on Monday.
Farmers in Sudan say the war involving Iran is pushing up fuel and fertiliser prices, forcing many to cut back on planting and threatening food production in a country already struggling with widespread hunger. Â
The U.S. military has said it carried out defensive strikes in southern Iran after boats were seen laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said peace talks could drag out for several more days while the language of a deal is finalised.Â
A peace agreement between Washington and Tehran is yet to materialise, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying that negotiations are incomplete and an Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman saying that a deal isn't imminent.
The inaugural Enhanced Games began in Las Vegas on Sunday (24 May), launching one of the most controversial experiments in modern sport, in which athletes openly compete using performance-enhancing drugs banned under traditional anti-doping rules.
A peace agreement between Washington and Tehran is yet to materialise, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying that negotiations are incomplete and an Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman saying that a deal isn't imminent.
A "largely negotiated" memorandum of understanding on an Iran peace deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday, though the Iranian Fars news agency disputed that claim.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 25th May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The World Health Organization warned on Monday that the fast-moving Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda was outpacing response efforts, with 220 suspected deaths reported so far.
FIFA has confirmed that Iran has moved its World Cup training base from the United States to Mexico, citing the ongoing war in the Middle East and related security concerns.
Farmers in Sudan say the war involving Iran is pushing up fuel and fertiliser prices, forcing many to cut back on planting and threatening food production in a country already struggling with widespread hunger. Â
Residents living near a burning textile warehouse in the town of Tubize, southwest of Brussels, have been evacuated after authorities warned of a risk of explosions caused by gas canisters stored inside the building.
Doctors working on the front lines of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo say attacks on treatment centres and fleeing patients are hampering efforts to contain the virus.
Russia has warned foreign nationals to leave Kyiv, saying it has launched a new wave of strikes targeting Ukraine’s defence industry and military command infrastructure.
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