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Kathmandu. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet his Canadian counterpart at the G-7 meeting on Thursday. However, discussions of the threat of US annexation have been kept off-limits in talks that are expected to be dominated by efforts to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Rubio arrived in Charlevoix, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, on Wednesday to meet with foreign ministers from the world’s industrialized democracies. After meeting with Kiev representatives in the Saudi port city of Jeddah earlier this week, he is expected to brief them on US-led efforts to end the three-year bloodshed in the Russia-Ukraine war.
President Donald Trump has expressed hope that US negotiators in Moscow will be able to secure a ceasefire. The United States wants Russia to agree to an unconditional cessation of hostilities, officials said. The Kremlin said it was waiting for details of the proposed ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was ready to make a deal, but the United States signaled a “strong” response if Russia refused. British Foreign Secretary David Lamy said the G7 should focus on “ensuring Ukraine is in the strongest possible position to secure a just and lasting peace.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said she expected her talks with Rubio to focus on “Ukraine and the ceasefire that is on the table.” Canada’s sovereignty is ‘non-negotiable’ but Jolie told reporters when asked about Trump’s repeated comments about his desire to incorporate Canada into the United States. “Canada’s sovereignty is non-negotiable,” Jolie told reporters during a stop in Ireland on his way to Canada.
Trump’s actions since returning to power in January have shaken U.S. relations with traditional allies. His 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports took effect Wednesday. It has prompted immediate retaliation from major U.S. trading partners. The European Union (EU) immediately announced that it would impose counter-tariffs on about $28 billion in US goods in phases starting in April, while Canada announced additional tariffs on $20.7 billion in US products starting on Thursday.
Canada has already imposed 25 percent tariffs on $20.8 billion in US goods in response to US tariffs on some Canadian imports. Jolie said he wanted to raise the issue of tariffs “at every meeting” at the G-7. Rubio expected his counterparts from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan to put aside any frustrations with Trump’s trade policies to work on common goals.
The steel and aluminium tariffs were based on national security concerns, he said on Wednesday. “We expect every country in the world to act in its own national interest,” he said. “I think we can do these things and at the same time deal constructively with our allies and friends, that’s what I expect from the G7 and Canada.” The three-day meeting in Charlevoix will also discuss the G7’s role in dealing with China and the Middle East, among other topics. It comes ahead of a G7 leaders’ summit in the Canadian province of Alberta in June.
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