PARIS — Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations opened two days of talks in Paris on Monday, 9 November 2026, with Europe pressing the United States for a fair Ukraine settlement and restraint towards Iran, in the allies' first gathering since the Democrats won Congress in last week's midterms.
The meeting runs through Tuesday, 10 November, and brings together the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, alongside the European Union. Ministers from Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Korea and Brazil are also attending parts of the talks, diplomats told Reuters.
All eyes are on United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, attending both days — unlike in March, when he came for one. It is his first trip abroad since the midterms, and American media have discussed him as a potential successor to President Donald Trump.
Illustration: G7 foreign ministers meet in Paris for two days of talks on Ukraine, Iran and Lebanon.
What Happened
The meeting opened in Paris on Monday morning after being moved at short notice from Marseille, where it had long been scheduled. Officials cited scheduling reasons; diplomats told Reuters it was moved for security reasons after weeks of protests across France.
Ukraine tops the agenda. Paris comes immediately before United States-mediated talks between Moscow and Kyiv open in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, 10 November — the first direct round since February. European governments fear Kyiv could be pressed into terms that cost it territory without firm security guarantees, and they want a voice in the process.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told RTL radio that "Europeans will be represented and France will be in Abu Dhabi to participate in these talks". Officials from France, Britain, Germany, NATO and the European Commission are also aiming to be in the Emirati capital, though not in the trilateral format, Reuters reported. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha joins a dedicated session in Paris on Tuesday.
Four G7 diplomats told Reuters the Paris meeting is the first chance for Washington's allies to judge whether the Republican midterm defeat changes the administration's approach to Ukraine, the Middle East and its partners. The gains could narrow the White House's room for manoeuvre, they signalled, but they warned against expecting a return to traditional American multilateralism under Mr. Trump.
Illustration: A Ukrainian city in darkness after Russian strikes on the energy grid, with repair crews at work.
The urgency was underlined over the weekend: Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure cut power to more than 600,000 residents in the central Dnipropetrovsk region and to nearly 250,000 customers in the Kharkiv region, according to DTEK and Ukrainian authorities. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles hit 12 regions on Saturday, accusing Moscow of intensifying the attacks to pressure Kyiv ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks.
Diplomats painted a sombre picture: the front line had largely stabilised, but Russia had shifted to systematically targeting energy infrastructure to trigger a nationwide winter blackout. Shortages of Patriot interceptors and other air defences were Kyiv's most urgent vulnerability, and one G7 objective is to sustain pressure on Russia while mobilising more military, financial and energy support.
Iran is the second hard file. Mr. Trump has not ruled out new strikes, including on the suspected nuclear site Tehran calls Pickaxe Mountain, which Iran denies is nuclear. Washington's G7 allies have repeatedly voiced scepticism and fear further American military action could worsen the crisis. Talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz remain stalled, while Europeans want shipping back to normal through the energy transit hub.
The ministers will also discuss Lebanon, where France is pushing a new United Nations-backed security framework to replace arrangements in southern Lebanon that expire at the end of the year. Paris has floated a French-Italian international force, an idea Washington has resisted. France has indicated that no joint communiqué is expected, a sign of the gaps the ministers are working around.
On the sidelines, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is convening a donor conference in Paris to raise money to repair the Chernobyl reactor's protective dome, damaged in a Russian drone strike in February 2025. At least 500 million euros is needed, and the G7 pledged 260 million euros in October — just over half — with the rest still to be raised; the bank says the work must be completed by 2030.
Background
The G7 gathers the world's leading industrialised democracies — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — with the European Union taking part. The Paris meeting is one of the final acts of the French G7 presidency, which saw President Emmanuel Macron host Mr. Trump for the leaders' summit this summer at Evian; the United States takes over the rotating presidency in 2027.
The last ministerial meeting, in March, took place in a different landscape: Mr. Rubio attended for only one day, and the preoccupations were strikingly similar — Ukraine and Iran. But Russia's war, begun with the February 2022 full-scale invasion, is grinding towards its fifth anniversary, and Washington is still not ruling out new attacks against Iran.
Illustration: The Chernobyl reactor's protective dome, damaged in a Russian strike, which a Paris donor conference aims to help repair.
The midterm results frame everything in Paris: both houses of Congress will now be controlled by the Democrats, who take over in January. Before departing Florida on Sunday, Mr. Rubio told reporters that diplomacy with Iran had made little progress, calling Tehran's demands 'unacceptable'.
The Paris talks are distinct from the other Ukraine diplomacy of recent days. On Thursday, 5 November, Melania Trump hosted Russian and Ukrainian envoys at the White House in a ceremony built around personal letters to the two presidents. That was a first lady's initiative, focused on children and the war's human cost. Paris, by contrast, is a working meeting of the ministers who control sanctions, military aid and security guarantees. It is likewise distinct from the APEC summit in Shenzhen.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warned on 5 November that Europe risks irrelevance if member states keep pursuing separate diplomatic tracks. Mr. Trump has predicted a "very big" deal with Russia involving not only Ukraine but "all of Europe", and Jared Kushner, the president's envoy, said the United States was working on "a broader European security architecture" for lasting peace — a concept Europe has met with scepticism.
On Iran, the picture is mixed. Mr. Trump said on Friday, 6 November: "We're dealing with them now. They want to make a deal very badly." Days earlier, he had described renewed attacks as unlikely, even as he kept the option of new strikes open. European ministers are expected to probe that tension in Paris, pressing for diplomacy and normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Why It Matters
The Paris meeting matters because Europe's frustration with being sidelined meets its first real test. The Abu Dhabi talks opening on Tuesday are the first direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine since February, mediated by Washington. If Europe is present — as Mr. Barrot has said it will be — that marks a change from earlier rounds, when the continent's governments watched from outside.
It matters for Ukraine in immediate, practical terms: the weekend's strikes showed the war is now being fought, in large part, against the power grid, with more than 600,000 people losing electricity in a single region in one night. In the week before 8 November, Mr. Zelenskyy said, Russia launched 115 missiles, nearly 1,900 guided bombs and more than 3,000 attack drones. Against that background, the G7's promise of more air defences and energy support is not abstract — it is about whether Ukrainian cities keep their lights and heating on through the winter.
It matters for Iran because the gap between Washington and its allies is real and growing. The United States has kept new strikes on the table, including against Pickaxe Mountain, while its European partners fear more military action would deepen the crisis. The Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted, and a miscalculation in the Gulf would hit energy prices and shipping worldwide.
It matters for the G7 itself. France has already signalled that no joint communiqué is expected — an admission that the seven cannot agree on a common text. But if they agree on practical steps, such as more air defences for Kyiv and more money for Chernobyl's dome, the meeting will have done the quiet work communiqués summarise.
And it matters for American politics: Mr. Rubio's first appearance before allies since the midterms is being watched in Washington as closely as in Europe. American media have discussed him as a potential successor to Mr. Trump, and his handling of two days of difficult talks will shape how he is seen at home.
What Happens Next
The Paris talks continue on Tuesday, 10 November, when Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha joins a dedicated session. That same day, the United States-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine open in Abu Dhabi, running through Wednesday, 11 November. The first test will be whether Europe's presence translates into a real role in the room — or whether the trilateral format stays closed.
Watch for what the ministers say about air defences. Kyiv's most urgent need, the diplomats who briefed Reuters said, is Patriot interceptors and other air defences, and any announcement of new deliveries or funding would be the most concrete outcome. Watch, too, for the Chernobyl donor conference and whether pledges close the gap toward the 500 million euros the bank says is needed.
On Iran, the signal to watch is whether Mr. Rubio offers any new assurance — or leaves the threat of further strikes deliberately open. Mr. Trump's remark on Friday that the Iranians "want to make a deal very badly" suggests a diplomatic track is still alive, but the Europeans will want more than a remark.
On Lebanon, the deadline is the end of the year, when the current arrangements in the south expire. If Paris produces agreement on a new United Nations-backed framework, that would be a genuine result; if not, the arrangements risk lapsing with nothing to replace them. Finally, watch the communiqué that is not expected: if the ministers do agree on one, the gaps are narrower than France suggested; if not, the focus shifts immediately to Abu Dhabi.
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FAQ
Why does Europe want a seat at the Abu Dhabi talks?
Because the talks will decide the terms of a settlement in a war on Europe's own continent, and European governments fear Kyiv could be pressed into giving up territory without security guarantees. Mr. Barrot told RTL radio that Europeans will be represented and that France will take part.
Is this G7 meeting the same as the White House meeting hosted by Melania Trump last week?
No. On Thursday, 5 November, Melania Trump hosted Russian and Ukrainian envoys at the White House in a ceremony built around personal letters to the two presidents. That was a first lady's initiative, focused on children and the war's human cost. Paris is a working meeting of the foreign ministers who control sanctions, military aid and security guarantees.
Could the United States strike Iran again?
President Donald Trump has not ruled out new strikes, including on the suspected nuclear site Tehran calls Pickaxe Mountain, which Iran denies is nuclear. He said on Friday, 6 November, that the United States is dealing with the Iranians now and they "want to make a deal very badly", and he had separately described renewed attacks as unlikely. European allies are pressing Washington in Paris for diplomacy and normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
What is the Chernobyl dome donor conference about?
On the sidelines, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is convening a donor conference on Monday, 9 November, co-chaired by France, Ukraine and the bank, to raise money to repair the Chernobyl reactor's protective dome, damaged in a Russian drone strike in February 2025. At least 500 million euros is required; the G7 pledged 260 million euros in October — just over half — and the bank says the work must be completed by 2030.
Will the Paris meeting produce a joint statement?
France has indicated that no joint communiqué is expected, suggesting the ministers cannot agree on a common text. If they do agree on one, it would signal narrower gaps. Either way, the focus shifts to Abu Dhabi, where United States-mediated talks open on Tuesday.
Sources
- Reuters — "G7 allies to assess impact of Trump's midterm setback at Paris talks" — 9 November 2026
- Associated Press — "Rubio will discuss Iran, Ukraine, AI and more with G7 allies in France" — 9 November 2026
- Reuters — "Europeans will join Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi, French foreign minister says" — 8 November 2026
- CNN — "Trump teases 'big, beautiful' European security deal after meeting Putin envoy" — 6 November 2026
- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development — "EBRD welcomes G7 commitment to finance urgent repairs to Chornobyl's protective shield" — October 2026
- Brussels Morning — "G7 Foreign Ministers Paris Talks on Iran, Ukraine and AI" — 9 November 2026
- Rapporteur — "Russian strikes cut power to hundreds of thousands in Ukraine" — 8 November 2026
- Augerton — "Russian drones and missiles cut electricity to hundreds of thousands in Ukraine" — 8 November 2026
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