

G7 seeks unity as Trump's tariffs, Ukraine stance weighs on ties
G7 nations were set to negotiate late into the night over a joint statement to show a united front in Canada on Thursday after weeks of tension between U.S. allies and President Donald Trump over his upending of Western trade and security policy.
The Group of Seven ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, along with the European Union, convened in the remote tourist town of La Malbaie, nestled in the Quebec hills, for meetings on Thursday and Friday that in the past have been broadly consensual.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed his colleagues on talks on Tuesday with Ukraine in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Kyiv said it was ready to support a 30-day ceasefire deal.
But officials said ambiguous comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin left delegates unclear where things stood.
In the run-up to the first G7 meeting of Canada's presidency, the crafting of an agreed all-encompassing final statement had been tough, but diplomats said the atmosphere since had been positive and candid.
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There was hope for an accord, something they said was vital to show unity.
«If we can't reach agreement on the communique, then it shows the division. It's not in the interest of any of the members of the G7,» EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Reuters on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers' meeting.
Kallas said she was optimistic and that there was good wording on Ukraine so far that she hoped remained.
A Japanese official echoed Kallas, saying failure to reach an agreement would only benefit China and Russia.
A U.S. decision to impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports immediately drew reciprocal measures from Canada and the EU, underscoring