World
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.”
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.
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.
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.”
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
World
Zelenskyy pressures US and Europe for more ‘air defense’ assistance amid ongoing war with Russia
Former NATO ambassador credits Trump for historic NATO defense spending
Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker discusses the upcoming NATO Summit in Turkey, which President Donald Trump will attend. Volker highlights Trump’s focus on increased defense spending from allies and the challenges of promoting unity within the alliance, especially following the Iran operation. He emphasizes NATO’s historical role in deterring aggression and its support for the U.S. after 9/11.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pressuring the U.S. and Europe to provide more missiles to help Ukraine defend against Russian attacks.
“Last night, Kyiv came under a massive Russian attack. Russia launched 68 missiles and 351 attack drones,” Zelenskyy noted in part of a Monday post on X.
President Donald Trump is slated to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara, Turkey, this week.
Zelenskyy is calling for the U.S. and European allies to emerge from the meeting “with strong decisions in support of” Ukraine’s “air defense.”
TRUMP CALLS OUT NATO AHEAD OF SUMMIT, CALLING IT ‘RIDICULOUS’ FOR US TO PERSIST ON ‘ONE SIDED PATH’
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference after meetings with the heads of the EU and Ireland, in Dublin on July 1, 2026. (Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images)
“Our warriors performed well today in intercepting drones and cruise missiles, but unfortunately not Russian ballistic missiles. And the reason lies in the insufficient supply of interceptor missiles. It is critically important that the world – first and foremost the United States and our European partners – come out of the NATO Summit in Ankara with strong decisions in support of our air defense, and thus the protection of ordinary people’s lives,” he noted in the post.
WORLD LEADERS, DIGNITARIES PAY TRIBUTE TO AMERICA ON HISTORIC 250TH BIRTHDAY
President Donald Trump walks to Air Force One as he departs Bismarck Municipal Airport on July 1, 2026, in North Dakota. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings. The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror,” he asserted.
Zelenskyy’s comments come amid the years-long war between Russia and Ukraine.
RUSSIAN GENERALS’ ASSASSINATIONS EXPOSE GROWING RIFT INSIDE PUTIN’S SECURITY APPARATUS
Large banners on an office complex near the Presidential Palace, the venue for the NATO summit, in Ankara, Turkey, on Monday, July 6, 2026. (Kerem Uzel/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Reuters reported that Zelenskyy, new South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are expected to have dinner with NATO leaders on Tuesday.
World
Hungary could vote to oust president as early as next week
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Hungary’s opposition Fidesz party has called for a demonstration on Thursday after Prime Minister Péter Magyar submitted a constitutional amendment to remove the country’s president, Tamás Sulyok.
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Magyar, who won a landslide victory in April’s election, ending Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power, has repeatedly called for the removal of the official appointed by his predecessor, whom he calls “Orbán’s puppet”.
Magyar’s amendment, filed on Saturday, states that “the mandate of the incumbent President of the Republic shall terminate on the day following the entry into force of the amendment to the Fundamental Law”.
The governing Tisza Party holds a supermajority in parliament, meaning the amendment is expected to pass. According to sources in the Hungarian parliament, the vote could take place as early as next week, but this has not been officially confirmed.
The constitutional changes would also remove four constitutional judges by setting their retirement age at 70, and limit parliamentary deputies to a 12-year mandate.
President Sulyok has said he has no intention of resigning, describing Magyar’s move as a threat to democracy.
“The question is whether this force will sweep away internationally recognised and required principles of the rule of law, as well as genuine representative democracy,” Sulyok said in a statement on Sunday.
Magyar pledged repeatedly during his election campaign to remove the president from office. He argues that Sulyok failed to fulfil his constitutional duties and did not stand up for opposition supporters during Orbán’s time in power.
“Viktor Orbán failed the Hungarian people, and Tamás Sulyok, whom he appointed, failed the Hungarian Republic,” Magyar said in June.
Fidesz has said the president’s removal would pave the way for tyranny, and has called for a demonstration on Thursday in support of Sulyok.
“The Tisza Party crosses all boundaries – human, moral and legal,” said Orbán. “Hungarian voters did not authorise this.”
The opposition argues that Sulyok was elected in accordance with the constitution, and that his removal would amount to personalised legislation.
A delegation from the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, an advisory body specialising in constitutional affairs, visited Hungary last week and met both the president and government officials. Its findings have not yet been made public.
The European Commission has said it is monitoring the constitutional amendment process in Hungary.
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