LA MALBAIE, Que. - Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Friday that G7 countries have maintained their support for Ukraine, as she and her peers endorsed a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war and called for a "political horizon" for Palestinians.
"We were able to find strong G7 unity on a variety of issues," Joly told reporters Friday morning as the gathering of Group of Seven foreign ministers was winding down in the Charlevoix region of Quebec.
The meeting took place against a backdrop of turbulence at home and abroad - with Prime Minister Mark Carney poised to launch what promises to be a hard-fought election campaign and U.S. President Donald Trump pursuing a trade war against much of the world.
The G7 includes the U.S., Canada, European nations and Japan - countries that are alarmed about the rising influence of Beijing and Moscow and Trump's unconventional foreign policy proposals and coercive trade policies.
Joly said the ministers were able to focus on shared concerns and hold frank exchanges about the world's problems.
"The goal was to keep strong G7 unity," she said.
Canada used its G7 presidency to advance maritime security initiatives, arguing that all three oceans bordering Canada should have freely navigable waters free of undetected ships that evade sanctions or commit illegal fishing.
The joint statement released Friday morning backed a ceasefire negotiated by the U.S. with Ukrainian support, which would compel Russia to halt its land, air and sea attacks. Moscow has called for changes to the proposal that G7 countries are rejecting.
"Ultimately, the ball is now in Russia's court when it comes to Ukraine," Joly told reporters.
Friday's joint statement suggests Russia won't get off scot-free if it doesn't accept and "fully" implement the agreement.
"We discussed imposing further costs on Russia in case such a ceasefire is not agreed, including through further sanctions, caps on oil prices, as well as additional support for Ukraine," says the statement, which also cites the possibility of seizing Russian assets.
Europe's G7 members — the U.K., France, Germany, Italy and the European Union — praised what they called strong language in the statement.
Canada has made Ukraine its top priority for the G7 presidency, saying that allowing Russia to grab territory undermines the global order that supports peace.
Germany's Ambassador to Canada Tjorven Bellmann cited the work of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in crafting the ceasefire proposal shortly before he flew to Quebec.
"The Ukraine discussion was very sincere and very constructive," Bellmann said of the G7 talks.
"It's really up to the Russians now to agree to this proposal without new conditions, and we'll all wait to see whether that's going to happen."
The leaders' statement also "underscored the imperative of a political horizon for the Palestinian people" - language that stopped short of endorsing Palestinian statehood but attracted notice from analysts who have been tracking Washington's strong support for Israel.
"Israelis and Palestinians can only live side by side if we respect their right to self-determination," Joly said, arguing the first step is getting to the next phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Joly said that in individual meetings with her counterparts, she raised Ottawa's belief that the U.S. is trying to annex Canada through economic coercion and discussed expanding trade outside North America.
"We want to be closer to Europe, we want to be closer to Britain," she said. "When it comes to the threats coming out of the White House regarding tariffs, we need to diversify our economy."
Joly said these concerns didn't overwhelm the G7 discussions and argued that Rubio's attendance sent a message that Canada's sovereignty is not on the table.
Joly said her colleagues still don't understand how seriously ºÚÁϳԹÏÍøs are taking Washington's threats.
"Many of my colleagues coming here thought that this issue was still a joke," she said, adding that she told peers that ºÚÁϳԹÏÍøs think this isn't something to be "laughed at."
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani pushed back on questions about why he hasn't spoken out about Trump's threats against Canada.
"For me, it's not my job. For me, Canada will be Canada," he said. "The most important message today is the unity itself."
This report by ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø was first published March 14, 2025.
