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G7 Foreign Ministers Agree on Ukraine Policy Amid Tensions Over Trump Tariffs

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G7 Foreign Ministers Agree on Ukraine Policy Amid Tensions Over Trump Tariffs

Despite high tensions between the Trump administration and some of America’s closest allies over tariffs and Ukraine, foreign ministers from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies who were meeting this week in Canada forged common ground in a communiqué that glossed over many of their sharp differences.

Top diplomats from Canada, the host of the gathering, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the European Union meeting at the idyllic resort town of La Malbaie in Charlevoix, Quebec, presented a cautiously united front, notably on Ukraine, a key point of divergence since President Trump took office.

In a statement released on Friday, the group affirmed its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and committed to supporting the “political aspirations” of Israelis and Palestinians, although it did not mention support for a two-state solution.

Reaching some consensus on Ukraine and Russia was considered a feat given Mr. Trump’s public criticism of Kyiv, although the group’s language on the subject was less vehement than in past years.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio found himself among allies in difficult circumstances, especially with his Canadian hosts, who resent Mr. Trump’s talk of annexing their country and turning it into “the 51st state.”

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That rhetoric, which loomed over the 48 hours that ministers spent together in Quebec, drew a sharp rebuke from Canada’s foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, who told reporters on Friday that she had told Mr. Rubio that “Canada’s sovereignty is not up to debate, period.”

“There’s no argument, there’s no conversation about it, there’s no need to talk about it,” she added. “You’re here, you respect us, you respect our sovereignty, you’re in our country, you respect our people. Period.”

Canada has also been more assertive in demanding that allies stand up for its sovereignty, but ministers in Quebec walked a fine line between supporting Canada and avoiding getting on the wrong side of Mr. Trump.

Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, and Kaja Kallas, the top European Union diplomat, posted photos of themselves dressed in red and white, Canada’s national colors. “We’ve got your back,” their post, addressed to Ms. Joly, said.

Mr. Trump on Thursday threatened to slap 200 percent tariffs on European Union exports of alcohol, a message that went down badly with France and Italy, the bloc’s major alcohol-exporting nations among the Group of 7.

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And more tariffs are looming on April 2, as Mr. Trump has promised a comprehensive reboot in the United States’ trade relationship with the world, applying what he calls “reciprocal” tariffs on trading partners globally.

At the center of the storm was Mr. Rubio, making his first appearance at an international summit since he became Mr. Trump’s top diplomat.

It was an awkward assignment for Mr. Rubio, given the anger and confusion over Mr. Trump’s policies among the officials at the meeting, and there were signs that he was not eager to spend more time with them than necessary. Mr. Rubio was notably absent from a Wednesday social event at which other ministers nibbled on s’mores and from another event on Thursday that featured Canadian maple taffy.

Complicating the situation for Mr. Rubio was the shadow of Mr. Trump’s talk of annexing the gathering’s host nation.

When asked by reporters on Monday about the president’s recent talk that a 1908 treaty delineating the U.S.-Canada border could be torn up, Mr. Rubio briefly seemed at a loss for words. He then dismissed the topic by saying that it was “not on the agenda” for the Group of 7 gathering.

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Asked again on Wednesday about Mr. Trump’s threats, Mr. Rubio emphasized points of unity between the United States and Canada, adding: “It is not a meeting about how we’re going to take over Canada.”

Mr. Trump returned to the subject on Thursday, telling reporters in the Oval Office that “Canada only works” as an American state. The border treaty, he added, had created “an artificial line” that “makes no sense.”

On Friday, Ms. Joly and Mr. Rubio each made comments characterizing the relationship between their two countries in nearly identical ways: “We won’t let things that we don’t agree on stop us from agreeing on other things,” Ms. Joly said.

The group’s final statement affirmed Ukraine’s “territorial integrity and right to exist,” and referred to Russian “acts of aggression.” But it was milder than the G7’s previous leaders’ statement, in November 2024, which proclaimed “unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes” and called Russia “the sole obstacle” to peace.

As he flew back from Canada, Mr. Rubio announced he was expelling the ambassador to the United States from South Africa, Ebrahim Rasool. Mr. Rubio wrote on social media that the ambassador was a “race-baiting politician who hates America” and Mr. Trump. He added that “we have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA.”

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Mr. Rubio made his comments above a re-post of an article from Breitbart, a conservative news site, on remarks Mr. Rasool made on Friday at an institute in Johannesburg. The article highlighted Mr. Rasool saying Mr. Trump was leading a “supremacist” movement against “the incumbency.”

Mr. Rubio said on social media last month that he would not attend the meeting of top diplomats from the Group of 20 nations in South Africa, criticizing the South African hosts for having a focus of the meeting be on “solidarity, equality and sustainability.”

Mr. Trump has signed an executive order to help the resettlement in the United States of white South African Afrikaners farmers who have had their land taken by the government, even though that is not a widespread practice in South Africa. He also ordered the federal government to cut off all aid to South Africa.

Edward Wong contributed reporting from Washington

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G7 allies avoid divisions with Rubio playing 'good guy' role

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G7 allies avoid divisions with Rubio playing 'good guy' role
It could have been disastrous. Just a day before the end of a three-day meeting of G7 foreign ministers in a remote snowy Canadian resort, some of the United States’ closest allies wondered whether their divisions could explode into public.
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Senior Islamic State leader killed in Iraq, Trump says his 'miserable life was terminated'

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Senior Islamic State leader killed in Iraq, Trump says his 'miserable life was terminated'

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The leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been killed, Iraq’s prime minister announced on Friday.

Abdallah Maki Mosleh al-Rifai, or “Abu Khadija,” was killed in an operation by members of the Iraqi national intelligence service along with U.S.-led coalition forces, Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement.

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The prime minister described al-Rifai as “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.”

U.S. President Donald Trump reacted to the news on his social media platform Truth Social, saying al-Rifai’s “miserable life was terminated.”

FORMER IRAQI REFUGEE LIVING IN TEXAS PLEADS GUILTY TO CONSPIRING TO SUPPORT ISIS

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani described al-Rifai as “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.” (AP)

“Today the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed,” Trump wrote Friday night. “He was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters. His miserable life was terminated, along with another member of ISIS, in coordination with the Iraqi Government and the Kurdish Regional Government.”

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“PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!” the president added.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement that its forces, in cooperation with Iraqi Intelligence and security forces, conducted an airstrike in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, that killed the “Global ISIS #2 leader, Chief of Global Operations and the Delegated Committee Emir – Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, alias ‘Abu Khadijah,’ and one other ISIS operative.”

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U.S. President Donald Trump reacted by saying al-Rifai’s “miserable life was terminated.” (Getty Images)

“As the Emir of ISIS’ most senior decision-making body, Abu Khadijah maintained responsibility for operations, logistics, and planning conducted by ISIS globally, and directs a significant portion of finance for the group’s global organization,” CENTCOM said.

ISIS soldier holding a flag

Islamic State/Iraq/Syria: A masked Islamic State soldier poses holding the ISIL banner somewhere in the deserts of Iraq or Syria. ISIL publicity image, 2015.  (Pictures from History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

After the strike, U.S. and Iraqi forces moved to the location of the strike and found both dead ISIS targets who were each wearing unexploded “suicide vests” and who had multiple weapons, CENTCOM said.

TRUMP ADMIN ENDS WAIVER ALLOWING IRAQ TO BUY IRANIAN ELECTRICITY AS PART OF ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE’ CAMPAIGN

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Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaybani, left, speaks during a news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaybani, left, speaks during a news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein following their meeting, in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March14, 2025. (AP)

U.S. and Iraqi forces were able to identify al-Rifai using DNA collected in a previous raid where he narrowly escaped.

“Abu Khadijah was one of the most important ISIS members in the entire global ISIS organization. We will continue to kill terrorists and dismantle their organizations that threaten our homeland and U.S., allied and partner personnel in the region and beyond,” Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander at CENTCOM, said in a statement.

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UN chief calls for global action against rising ‘anti-Muslim bigotry’

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UN chief calls for global action against rising ‘anti-Muslim bigotry’

Marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, Guterres speaks out against bigotry, xenophobia and discrimination.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over “a disturbing rise in anti-Muslim bigotry”, calling on governments to protect religious freedom and for online platforms to curb hate speech.

Guterres made the remarks on Saturday to mark the International Day to Combat Islamophobia marked every year on March 15.

Rights groups around the world and the UN have noted a rise in Islamophobia, anti-Arab bias and anti-Semitism since the start of Israel’s 17-month war on Gaza.

“We are witnessing a disturbing rise in anti-Muslim bigotry. From racial profiling and discriminatory policies that violate human rights and dignity, to outright violence against individuals and places of worship,” the UN chief said in a video post on X. “This is part of a wider scourge of intolerance, extremist ideologies and attacks against religious groups and vulnerable populations.”

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He called on governments, without specifying any one nation, to “foster social cohesion and protect religious freedom”.

“Online platforms must curb hate speech and harassment. And we must all speak out against bigotry, xenophobia and discrimination,” he added.

Meanwhile, UN Under-Secretary-General Miguel Angel Moratinos said Muslims were facing “institutional discrimination and socioeconomic restrictions”.

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“Such biases are manifested in the stigmatisation and the unwarranted racial profiling of Muslims and are reinforced by biased media representations, and by the anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies of some political leaders,” he said in a speech to the UN General Assembly.

Rights advocates have for years raised concerns about the stigma faced by Muslims and Arabs because of how some people conflate those communities with armed groups.

At present, many pro-Palestinian activists, including in Western nations such as the United States, have complained and say that their advocacy for Palestinian rights is wrongly labelled by their critics as support for Hamas in Gaza.

In recent weeks, rights watchdogs have published data noting record levels of anti-Muslim hate incidents and hate speeches in countries such as the United Kingdom, the US and India, among others.

A report released by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Tuesday said that the 8,658 complaints regarding anti-Muslim and anti-Arab incidents last year – representing a 7.4 percent rise year on year – was the highest number since the group began compiling data in 1996.

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