La Malbaie, Canada (Reuters)-The United States approached its G7 allies on Friday, at least momentarily, to support Ukraine territorial integrity and warn Russia to follow Kiev and accept a ceasefire or face possible additional sanctions.
The group’s joint statement of the group was followed by weeks of tension between US allies and President Donald Trump about their turnaround in western trade, safety and policy related to Ukraine.
The G7 authorities feared they could not agree on a comprehensive document that addressed geopolitical issues around the world, divisions that they said could have played in favor of Russia and China.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States felt well with the joint statement.
Canada Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told reporters: “When it comes to different questions, Ukraine and the Middle East, we had sessions to talk about these different issues, issues, and the goal was to maintain a strong G7 unit.”
The ministers of the seven group-formed by the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States-, together with the European Union, met in the remote tourist city of La Malbaie, nestled in the Quebec Colinas for meetings on Thursday and Friday that in the past, were widely consensual.
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However, in the preparation for the first G7 meeting under the presidency of Canada, the elaboration of a final statement was difficult, with disputes on the language regarding Ukraine, the Middle East, and Washington’s desire for a stricter essay over China.
The statement “reaffirmed unshakable support to Ukraine in defense of his territorial integrity and the right to exist, as well as his freedom, sovereignty and independence.”
The territorial integrity of Ukraine has been widely absent from the US narrative since the Trump government reached power on January 20. To date, the US under Trump’s command have not ruled out the possibility of Kiev to give territory.
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Authorities said they were surprised by the fact that the United States agreed with parts of language over Ukraine, saying that US diplomats, including Rubio, were repeatedly questioned if the White House supported the language.
Although pleased with Friday’s outcome, which was in accordance with current US efforts to press Russia, they warned that the constant changes of the Trump government have not made the definitive position.
“We feel very good about the statement, we worked hard on it,” Rubio told reporters.
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“I said from the beginning, with what everyone agreed, that we will not allow the things we disagree – and we will disagree with some things – keep us from working closely at the things we agree on. There are many of these things. We hope the statement reflects this, and our actions reflect this. ”
“Security guarantees”
“Territorial integrity is an important element of the statement and the (reference) to the United Nations,” Kaja Kallas’ head of foreign policy told Reuters, referring to an appeal for “comprehensive, just and lasting peace, according to the United Nations Charter.”
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An earlier text that referred to the need for security guarantees to ensure a truce was replaced by “guarantees,” but they warned Moscow to follow Kiev and agree with a ceasefire or face more sanctions, including limits to oil price.
“G7 members asked Russia to return to agreeing with a ceasefire in equal terms and fully implementing it.
“They emphasized that any ceasefire should be respected and stressed the need for robust and reliable security agreements to ensure that Ukraine could prevent and defend against any new acts of aggression,” they said in a reference to Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
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United Kingdom Foreign Minister David Lam called the statement “very good.”
Washington sought to impose red lines on the language on Ukraine so as not to harm his negotiations with Russia and opposed a separate statement about the containment of the so -called shadow fleet of Russia, an obscure navigation network that escapes sanctions while requiring more robust language over China.
In the end, the G7 also approved a separate statement on maritime safety, including a task force to deal with the clandestine fleet, something Canada had requested.
G7 Foreign Ministers have adopted a rigid stance on China, intensifying language about Taiwan and omitting some conciliatory references and guarantees of previous statements, including “one China” policies, which is certainly a significant concern for Beijing.
There was a discussion about the language regarding Gaza and the Middle East, especially the notion of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Pastine conflict, something the US was resisting.
The final version did not mention a two -state solution, eliminating language that had emphasized its importance in previous versions of the text.
The statement states: “They emphasized the imperative of a political horizon to the Palestinian people, achieved through a negotiated solution for the Israeli-Palestine conflict that meets the legitimate needs and aspirations of both peoples and promotes peace, stability and prosperity comprehensive in the Middle East.”
