/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-tor.buminteractif.com%2F2026%2F03%2F27232743%2FGettyImages-2268081237.jpg)
On March 27, Marco Rubio arrived in France for the first in-person gathering of G7 foreign ministers since President Donald Trump publicly pressed allies to take a stronger stance on Iran. The meeting came as Trump and Israel's war on Iran is threatening global energy supply chains, and Russia's war on Ukraine continues to impact global trading routes. The meeting was defined by the G7's growing unease regarding Donald Trump's authoritarian foreign policy. Rudio used the meeting to reaffirm that the US want's nothing to do with Ukraine.
Not America's war
Rubio was clear in his address to the G7 and the public after the meeting. Rubio restated the US's growing frustration over its aid requirement to Ukraine. The US believes that it shouldn't be made to share the burden of Vladimir Putin's war. Rubio stated that Russia's war on Ukraine is not America's war, but the US has contributed significantly to aid Ukraine against Putin. European leaders were prepared to question Rubio over reported Russian support for Iran during the conflict.
“I work for the people of the United States. Ukraine is not America's war, and yet we've contributed more to that fight than any other country.”
-Marco Rubio
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas claimed that, despite what Rubio says, the war in Ukraine and the war in Iran are closely tied. Kallas tried convincing Rubio that Russia was helping Iran to ‘kill Americans', and that if the US wanted to further its action against Iran, it should refocus resources on Moscow. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also claimed that ties between Russia and Iran have existed for years, and will continue to exist without foreign interference.
G7 questioning America's war on Iran
The timing of this G7 meeting was defined by current foreign affairs. Less than 24 hours prior, Donald Trump spouted a new wave of insults at NATO. Global oil prices have skyrocketed after Donald Trump's attacks on Iran, and the world is suffering the toll of Trump's chosen war. Most of America's allies have been vocally opposed to Trump's actions in Iran, and those same sentiments were on display during the meeting, as Marco Rubio was clearly looked down on by the rest of the ministers. France's Minister of the Armed Forces, Catherine Vautrin, made it abundantly clear that this war is ‘not ours', and that France's position will be purely defensive. The UK also confirmed it would not join the US on its offensives, pointing out its differences with the United States.
“Frankly, I think countries around the world, even those that are out there complaining about this a little bit, should actually be grateful that the United States has a president that's willing to confront a threat like this,”
Marco Rubio
War on Iran
On February 28, 2026, the US government and Israel undertook a joint operation in Iran, with the US subsequently declaring it was at war with the country. The attacks triggered retaliatory strikes from Iran, targeting US and Israeli military bases across the Middle East. According to Donald Trump, there is no timeline for this war, and the US will continue its operations in the country until it sees a significant regime change, as well as an end to Iran's supposed nuclear program.
US and Israeli strikes killed Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, on Day One of the war, completing Trump's supposed goal. Khamenei has been using deadly violence against civilian protesters in Tehran, and his killing has been the only positive piece of Donald Trump's illegal intervention. Donald Trump changed his reasoning for attacking Iran after Khamenei's death, instead claiming he attacked Iran because he had certain information that Iran was going to attack Israel and the United States. Israel calls the strategy ‘forward defence'.
Cost of war
As of March 27th, preliminary figures show harrowing victim counts across the Middle East. In Iran, more than 1,900 people have been killed by US and Israeli strikes. US forces have struck more than 7,000 locations in Iran, and alongside the 1,937 killed, another 24,800 Iranians have been injured, and more than 3 million people have been displaced. A US strike targeting an all-girls elementary school killed 168 children. In Lebanon, more than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes, with another 3,100 injured and more than 1 million civilians displaced. Thirteen US servicemembers have been killed, and 19 people have been killed in Israel. Since February 28, 168 people have been killed by Iranian strikes across Gulf Countries.
Russia's war on Ukraine
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, at least 2 million people have been killed – mostly military personnel – and another million displaced from both sides, making it the most deadly conflict of the 21st century. The US government has pressured Ukraine to surrender control of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine – an area that is mostly occupied by Russian forces. Ukraine and its European allies have firmly resisted the idea of handing over land. According to Trump, conceding land is the moral thing for Ukraine to do. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made his position clear: Ukraine is, and will always be, unwilling to concede its sovereign territory.
Created by humans, assisted by AI.
