Politics

/

ArcaMax

Rubio spars with G7 diplomats over wars in Iran and Ukraine

Andrea Palasciano, Eric Martin and Samy Adghirni, Bloomberg News on

Published in Political News

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Group of Seven counterparts traded barbs over the wars in Iran and Ukraine, casting doubt on Europe bowing to Donald Trump’s demand for military help in the Persian Gulf.

“The United States is constantly being asked to help in a war,” Rubio said, referring to Ukraine, before taking off for the Friday conclusion of a G7 gathering outside Paris. “But when the U.S. had a need, he didn’t get positive responses,” he added.

The Europeans have rebuffed Trump’s bid for their navies to participate in opening the Strait of Hormuz, saying they’d help once the missiles have stopped flying. All the while, U.S.. bases in Europe have been key to the war effort and some European bases have provided logistical support.

“It is irritating, I have to say,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told Deutschlandfunk radio before a scheduled meeting with Rubio. Germany hasn’t received a clear ask from the U.S. side. “At this point, the legal requirements for us for such an operation aren’t met. And there is no specific request for us to take action at this time.”

Nevertheless, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux said planning is underway. “It would take place after the end of the bombing first,” he told Bloomberg TV. “To be only in a defensive situation. We are preparing such a mission with all the willing partners. But we have made very clear that this war is not our war and we don’t want to be entangled in it.”

The U.S. clarified its position in France, saying it isn’t asking allies for action now in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a person familiar with the conversations at the G7. But Washington wants allies to be ready to help secure the region after the fighting.

The naval group would need to have as many allies as possible participate and won’t be U.S.-led, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, who added they expect the war to end in a matter of weeks, not months.

“There is, I believe, a consensus within the international community to preserve a common good, which is freedom of navigation,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters.

 

The U.S. was considering sending as many as 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported, giving the U.S. president more military options as leading U.S. allies called for negotiations to end a conflict that is doing increasing damage to the global economy.

Ukraine remains Europe’s primary concern, with its leaders trying to isolate Russia by connecting the two wars.

The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said Thursday that Russia was providing Iran with intelligence to target and kill Americans, something her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov denied on French TV.

“Drones provided to Russia by Iran that have been involved in the conflict by Ukraine, but we have also seen support from Russia provided to Iran in the Middle East conflict as well,” U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said.

In contrast, “Ukraine is not America’s war, and yet we’ve contributed more to that fight than any other country in the world,” said Rubio. “So, it’ll be something to examine that the president will have to take into account down the road.”

_____

(With assistance from Jenni Thier, Christoph Rauwald, Katharina Rosskopf, Caroline Connan and Oliver Crook.)


©2026 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

Related Channels

The ACLU

ACLU

By The ACLU
Amy Goodman

Amy Goodman

By Amy Goodman
Armstrong Williams

Armstrong Williams

By Armstrong Williams
Austin Bay

Austin Bay

By Austin Bay
Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro

By Ben Shapiro
Betsy McCaughey

Betsy McCaughey

By Betsy McCaughey
Bill Press

Bill Press

By Bill Press
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

By Bonnie Jean Feldkamp
Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas

By Cal Thomas
Clarence Page

Clarence Page

By Clarence Page
Danny Tyree

Danny Tyree

By Danny Tyree
David Harsanyi

David Harsanyi

By David Harsanyi
Debra Saunders

Debra Saunders

By Debra Saunders
Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager

By Dennis Prager
Dick Polman

Dick Polman

By Dick Polman
Erick Erickson

Erick Erickson

By Erick Erickson
Froma Harrop

Froma Harrop

By Froma Harrop
Jacob Sullum

Jacob Sullum

By Jacob Sullum
Jamie Stiehm

Jamie Stiehm

By Jamie Stiehm
Jeff Robbins

Jeff Robbins

By Jeff Robbins
Jessica Johnson

Jessica Johnson

By Jessica Johnson
Jim Hightower

Jim Hightower

By Jim Hightower
Joe Conason

Joe Conason

By Joe Conason
John Stossel

John Stossel

By John Stossel
Josh Hammer

Josh Hammer

By Josh Hammer
Judge Andrew P. Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Laura Hollis

Laura Hollis

By Laura Hollis
Marc Munroe Dion

Marc Munroe Dion

By Marc Munroe Dion
Michael Barone

Michael Barone

By Michael Barone
Mona Charen

Mona Charen

By Mona Charen
Rachel Marsden

Rachel Marsden

By Rachel Marsden
Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry

By Rich Lowry
Robert B. Reich

Robert B. Reich

By Robert B. Reich
Ruben Navarrett Jr.

Ruben Navarrett Jr

By Ruben Navarrett Jr.
Ruth Marcus

Ruth Marcus

By Ruth Marcus
S.E. Cupp

S.E. Cupp

By S.E. Cupp
Salena Zito

Salena Zito

By Salena Zito
Star Parker

Star Parker

By Star Parker
Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore

By Stephen Moore
Susan Estrich

Susan Estrich

By Susan Estrich
Ted Rall

Ted Rall

By Ted Rall
Terence P. Jeffrey

Terence P. Jeffrey

By Terence P. Jeffrey
Tim Graham

Tim Graham

By Tim Graham
Tom Purcell

Tom Purcell

By Tom Purcell
Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy

By Veronique de Rugy
Victor Joecks

Victor Joecks

By Victor Joecks
Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root

By Wayne Allyn Root

Comics

Andy Marlette Steve Breen John Deering Gary McCoy Christopher Weyant Mike Smith