European ministers urge Rubio to include Europe in Ukraine peace negotiations
G7 talks in Paris have exposed European concerns over Washington’s approach to Ukraine as US-mediated negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv begin in Abu Dhabi.
By Larissa Bell ·
European foreign ministers have pressed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to ensure Europe has a role in any agreement ending Russia’s war on Ukraine. Their appeal came during Monday’s Group of Seven meeting in Paris, as US-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine were set to begin in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
The Paris gathering was Rubio’s first meeting with allies since President Donald Trump’s Republican Party suffered heavy losses in last week’s midterm elections. It offered ministers a direct opportunity to raise concerns about Washington’s direction, particularly Trump’s increasingly frequent calls for a new security architecture for Europe.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul rejected the need for a fundamental overhaul of Europe’s security arrangements after his discussions with Rubio. He insisted that European participation was essential to reaching a settlement. His comments reflected the broader message from European ministers that decisions about ending the war must include Europe.
Wadephul also said the Abu Dhabi negotiations would test Russia’s willingness to engage seriously. He called on Moscow to abandon its maximalist demands and cautioned against talks becoming a performance without meaningful negotiations. Russia’s continuing attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, he said, showed no substantial contribution by Moscow toward building serious momentum for a negotiated outcome.
The two-day G7 meeting concludes on Tuesday, overlapping with the Russia-Ukraine talks scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in the United Arab Emirates. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha is due to attend Tuesday’s Paris session on Ukraine. Before leaving for the meeting, he said: “No one has the right to decide our fate behind our backs.”
The discussions take place amid growing unease among G7 members over US policy. Their concerns include Washington’s reduced support for Ukraine, its easing of sanctions on Russia and its increasingly unilateral approach. The G7 comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Korea and Brazil are also attending the Paris gathering.
Iran is expected to be a major focus on Tuesday, when ministers will discuss instability in the Middle East. Washington’s G7 partners have repeatedly expressed scepticism about the US and Israeli war on Iran. They are concerned that additional American military action could worsen the crisis instead of bringing it closer to a resolution.
Reporting from Paris, Al Jazeera’s Rebecca Collard said Monday’s discussions had provided little clarity about US policy following the elections. Beyond the individual conflicts on the agenda, she said the meeting also raised questions about the future of the multilateral cooperation that has shaped relations among these countries for decades.
