Meeting this Monday in France, the G7 foreign ministers will speak with American Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ukraine, Iran and Lebanon will be at the heart of the discussions, while Washington's allies question the strategy of Donald Trump's team after the Republican debacle.

Published on: 09/11/2026 - 07:46

First meeting since the debacle of Donald Trump's supporters in the mid-term elections between American Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his G7 counterparts. The meeting of foreign ministers scheduled for Monday, November 9 in Paris will allow Washington's allies to assess whether the electoral setback suffered by the Republican president's camp will modify the approach of my White House towards Ukraine, the Middle East and traditional partners, four G7 diplomats revealed.

Donald Trump's Republican Party suffered a dismal failure during the midterms last week and will cede control of both houses of Congress to the Democratic Party from January, which, diplomats noted, could restrict Washington's room for maneuver.

However, they warned that a return to traditional multilateralism in the United States should not be expected, while foreign policy will remain under the control of Donald Trump.

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Aside from G7 members, ministers from other countries – Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Korea and Brazil – were also invited.

The main subject of discussion should be Ukraine, on the eve of the trilateral meeting organized in Abu Dhabi by Washington with kyiv and Moscow. Officials from European countries, including France, as well as officials from NATO and the European Commission, also intend to be present in the Emirati capital, but it is unlikely that they will be able to take part in the trilateral talks.

Disagreements between Europeans

In a sign of friction among Europeans, Italian Council President Giorgia Meloni warned last week that the EU risks no longer playing a relevant role in efforts to end the war in Ukraine if member countries of the bloc continue to adopt their own strategies rather than agreeing on a common approach. A question that should be raised during the meeting in Paris.

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Diplomats stressed that the situation in Ukraine was grim, warning that while the front lines had generally stabilized, Russia had now adopted the strategy of systematically targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure in order to cause a winter blackout in the country.

Franco-American differences over Lebanon

Another important subject on the meeting's agenda: the war in Iran, about which Washington's allies within the G7 have regularly expressed skepticism. They fear that potential additional military operations by the United States will have the effect of worsening the crisis rather than moving toward a solution.

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Furthermore, it is possible that Monday's discussions will highlight the differences between France and the United States over Lebanon. Paris is in favor of the establishment of a new security framework under the aegis of the UN in southern Lebanon and has put forward several options, including the deployment of an international force led by France and Italy.

While French officials privately admitted that Washington was reluctant to accept some of the ideas, diplomats said the G7 offered an opportunity for allies to bring their positions closer together.

With Reuters

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