Top Diplomats From G7 Countries Meet in Canada as Trade Tensions Rise With Trump

Niagara by the lake: Top diplomats from seven industrialized democracies are converging in southern Ontario as tensions rise between the United States and traditional allies like Canada over defense spending, trade and uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan in Gaza and efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said in an interview with The Associated Press that “the relationship must continue on a range of issues” despite trade pressures as she prepares to host U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his counterparts from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“We are addressing a number of critical issues with a single-minded focus: putting the safety and security of Americans FIRST,” Rubio said in a social media post.

Anand also invited the foreign ministers of Australia, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa and Ukraine.

Anand said the critical priorities for Tuesday night’s talks are negotiations on advancing long-term peace and stability in the Middle East.

“The peace plan must be supported,” Anand said.

Diplomats will meet with Ukraine’s foreign minister early Wednesday. Britain has announced it will send 13 million pounds ($17 million) to help repair Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches and Russian attacks intensify. The money will be used to repair electricity, heating and water supplies, and for humanitarian support to Ukrainians.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who made the announcement before the meeting, said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “trying to plunge Ukraine into darkness and cold as winter approaches” but British support would help keep the lights and heating on.

Canada recently made a similar announcement.

Canada’s G7 hosting duties this year have been marked by strained relations with its North American neighbor, mainly due to Trump’s tariffs on Canadian imports. But the entire bloc of allies is facing major upheaval due to the Republican president’s trade demands and various proposals to stop conflicts around the world.

One of the main points of discussion was defense spending. All G7 members except Japan are members of NATO, and Trump has demanded that alliance partners spend 5% of their annual gross domestic product on defense. Some countries accepted this proposal, while others did not. Among G7 NATO members, Canada and Italy are farthest from this target.

Canada will reach 5% of GDP by 2035, Anand said.

There were also G7 disagreements over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza; Britain, Canada and France announced that they would recognize the Palestinian state even if there is no solution to the conflict. With the Russia-Ukraine war, most G7 members took a tougher stance against Russia than Trump.

The two-day meeting in Niagara-on-the-Lake, on the shores of Lake Ontario near the U.S. border, came after Trump ended trade talks with Canada because the Ontario provincial government ran an anti-tariff ad in the U.S. that upset him. This followed a harsh backlash over Trump’s insistence that Canada should become the 51st state of the United States, which later subsided.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney apologized for the ad and said last week he was ready to resume trade talks when the Americans were ready.

Anand said he would meet with Rubio, but noted that a different minister was managing the US trade file. The US president has placed greater priority on resolving grievances about other nations’ trade policies over cooperating with G7 allies.

“Every complex relationship has multiple touchpoints,” Anand said in the interview. “There is work that needs to be done on the trade dossier — just as there is work that needs to be done on the numerous touchpoints outside of the trade dossier, and that’s where Secretary Rubio and I come in because the relationship has to continue through a series of issues.”

Anand said Rubio asked him at a breakfast meeting in Washington last month to play a role in bringing countries to the table to ensure the longevity of Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan, including at a future Gaza reconstruction conference.

US officials said Rubio, who may also meet with other G7 counterparts and at least one of the invited non-G7 foreign ministers, will focus on initiatives to stop conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, maritime security, Haiti, Sudan, supply chain resilience and critical minerals.

Canada’s priorities include ending the war in Ukraine, Arctic security, and the security of Haiti. A working lunch will be held on the energy and critical minerals needed for everything from smartphones to warplanes. Canada has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is keen on and investing in for national security.