WASHINGTON — Foreign Minister Antony Blinken leaves Saturday on a diplomatic trip to Europe that includes a meeting of foreign ministers from the leading industrialized nations that will focus on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The State Department said Blinken will attend Group of Seven and bilateral meetings outside Rome on Monday and Tuesday as the Biden administration winds down amid concerns that President-elect Donald Trump’s team could significantly change US foreign policy.
The G7 – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the US – have been at the forefront of providing military and financial support to Ukraine since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, and Democratic President Joe Biden is seeking to ensure that support is boosted and maintained . G7 members are particularly concerned about how Trump will change the US approach.
Trump has criticized the billions of dollars the Biden administration has poured into Ukraine. Washington has recently stepped up arms transfers and forgiven billions in loans made to Kiev. The Republican president-elect has said he could end the war in 24 hours, comments that suggest he would pressure Ukraine to surrender territory now occupied by Russia.
On the Middle East, Trump has announced a number of officials who are strongly pro-Israel. He is expected to pursue policies that strongly favor Israel over the hopes of Palestinians and others for a two-state solution to the long-running conflict that has been focused on Gaza for the past 13 months since Hamas launched attacks inside Israel.
Several Arab foreign ministers are expected to join the G7 in Italy for urgent talks to end the war in Gaza and set up a governance, reconstruction and security mechanism for the badly damaged area once the fighting is over.
US officials are rushing to complete the formation of this structure before Biden leaves office in January, but there have been several complications. The effort was most recently rocked by the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and top Hamas officials.
Israel’s military operations in Lebanon against Iran-backed Hezbollah will also feature in the G7 discussions. US officials say they are hopeful that a recent flurry of diplomatic activity could produce a ceasefire agreement. .
The G7’s relationship with China will be part of Blinken’s discussions. There are growing concerns about Beijing’s aggressiveness towards Taiwan and in the South China Sea, as well as trade disputes, which Trump has threatened to resolve by imposing massive tariffs on Chinese products.
Blinken will meet with Pope Francis and several of his top aides in Vatican City on Wednesday before returning to Washington.
