There will not be a joint statement from G7 leaders on the war in Ukraine because the United States wouldn’t agree to the final wording, a senior Canadian government source says.
While there was one originally planned, the source said six of the leaders were prepared to go far in their language but the Americans wanted to water it down.
The official, who spoke on the condition they not be named, said the Americans did not want some of the pointed remarks about Russia to be included in the joint statement because they feared it would compromise negotiations with that country over ending their war.
Instead, some of the language around Russia’s invasion will be included in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s “chair’s statement.”
The move comes after the leaders spent the morning listening to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as he stressed the need for an unconditional ceasefire.
Sources with the Ukrainian delegation told CBC News Zelenskyy is cutting his visit short, following a deadly bombardment on the Ukrainian capital overnight and U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to skip Tuesday’s program.
Trump left Monday night, citing the Middle East conflict. The source said Zelenskyy will head back to Kyiv after talks in Kananaskis wrap up. He’s cancelled a news conference planned in Calgary.
The G7 — made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. along with the European Union — did find consensus on some items, mirroring the list of priorities Carney had already laid out before the leaders’ helicopters touched down in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday.
They include the Kananaskis Wildfire Charter and statements on transnational repression, countering migrant smuggling, artificial intelligence and a “common vision” for the future of quantum technologies.
There’s a lengthy G7 critical minerals action plan as the leaders focus on diversifying production to counter China. Those minerals are an essential ingredient in powering the modern technology that we use every day.
Canada could benefit given how many of those minerals can be found in this country.
The wildfire charter is also close to Canada’s interests, following back-to-back wildfire seasons. In an effort to more quickly snuff out fires around the world, the group agreed to “enhance interoperability” so firefighting equipment from one country can be used in others, along with other commitments. The goal is for firefighters to be more easily deployed where the need is greatest.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced a series of new measures to support Ukraine — including what the Prime Minister’s Office is billing as a new attempt to target ‘Russia’s shadow fleet and energy revenues’ with sanctions.
The G7 leaders released another joint statement Monday night, calling for a “de-escalation” of hostilities in the Middle East. It affirms Israel’s right to defend itself and recognizes Iran as “the principal source of regional instability and terror” but also calls for some sort of “resolution.”
“We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza,” read the statement, made public after Monday’s working dinner.
Trump met with his National Security Council in Washington on Tuesday to discuss the war between Israel and Iran.
