カナダ、ロシアの「侵略」に対抗 米トランプ政権の姿勢でＧ７分裂

【シャルルボワ（カナダ）ＡＦＰ＝時事】先進７か国（Ｇ７）の外相会合を開催中のカナダは１３日、ロシアの「侵略」に対抗し、ウクライナ支援を強化するよう各国に呼びかけた。（写真はカナダで開催されたＧ７外相会合に出席した各国外相）
　これまでおおむね結束してきたＧ７（米国、英国、カナダ、フランス、ドイツ、イタリア、日本）だが、ドナルド・トランプ米大統領の政権復帰により、その団結が揺らぎつつある。トランプ氏は同盟国にも厳しい貿易関税を課し、ロシアに対して融和的なアプローチを取るなどしており、Ｇ７内に分裂が生じている。
　また、トランプ氏は就任以来、カナダを米国の「５１番目の州」と揶揄（やゆ）し、嘲笑している。
　議長国としてＧ７外相会議を開会したカナダのメラニー・ジョリー外相は、冒頭で「ロシアの違法な侵略に直面するウクライナを引き続き支援する方法を見つけたい」「われわれは皆、ウクライナに公正で持続的な平和がもたらされることを望んでいる」と述べた。
　一方、米国のマルコ・ルビオ国務長官はＧ７諸国に対し、ロシアに「敵対的な」言葉を用いると、ウクライナ紛争終結に向けた米国の外交努力を損なうとして、そうした表現を避けるよう求めている。
　トランプ政権への移行に伴い、米国の公式声明では、それまで使用されていた「ロシアによる侵略」や「侵攻」といった表現が、「ロシア・ウクライナ紛争」に置き換えられている。
　ウクライナは、トランプ政権による軍事支援の一時停止という圧力にさらされる中、１１日にサウジアラビアで行われた米国との高官協議で、米国が提示したロシアとの３０日間の停戦案を受け入れると表明。ロシアと即時交渉を開始することに同意した。
　一方、ロシアのウラジーミル・プーチン大統領は１３日、停戦を基本的に支持する考えを示したが、トランプ氏との協議を望んでいることを示唆した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/03/14-18:21）

Canada called Thursday on the Group of Seven powers to back Ukraine against Russia's aggression as US President Donald Trump's more conciliatory approach toward Moscow split the club of wealthy democracies.
Canada, the current G7 president, is gathering foreign ministers for three days of talks inside a rustic hotel in snow-dusted Charlevoix, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec.
Once broadly unified, the G7 -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States -- has been rattled since the return of Trump, who has reached out to Russia and slapped punishing trade tariffs on close allies and competitors alike.
Before the full talks, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly sat down with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the highest-level US official to visit since the inauguration of Trump who has taunted the United States' northern neighbor as the 51st state.
Canada put its maple-leaf flag next to the US Stars and Stripes in a meeting room where Joly and Rubio exchanged French-style pecks on the cheek and shook hands. They did not respond to questions and issued no statements.
Joly, opening the formal session of the G7, said she hoped to find ways to continue to support Ukraine in the face of Russia's illegal aggression.
We all want to see just and lasting peace in Ukraine, she said.
Rubio has called for the G7 to avoid antagonistic language toward Russia, saying it would hinder US diplomacy that could end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people.
Since Trump took over from president Joe Biden, US statements have switched from referring to Russia's invasion or aggression against its neighbor since 2022 to speaking of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Ukraine, under heavy pressure from Trump who briefly cut off aid, agreed with Rubio in talks Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday voiced general support for a ceasefire but suggested he wanted to speak to Trump about it.
- Compromise emerging on statement -
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned that peace in Europe will only come through strength.
What good is a ceasefire that would then lead to even more suffering, destruction and war in Europe after two or four years? she said on the sidelines of the G7 talks.
Diplomats said the G7 statement may paper over broader differences on Ukraine by focusing on backing the ceasefire plan.
If the G7 cannot put together a common statement, it only benefits countries like China and Russia and sends a message to the Global South, Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Toshihiro Kitamura said.
A diplomat from another country, speaking on condition of anonymity, expected a statement to come together and said it was no small feat considering the level of disagreement.
Everyone is sticking to their positions, although not in a way that seeks to attack others, he said.
Just as Rubio was meeting in Quebec, Trump doubled down in his rhetoric by saying that Canada only works as a state of the United States.
This would be the most incredible country visually. If you look at a map, they drew an artificial line right through it between Canada and the US, Trump told reporters in Washington.
Baerbock sported a white suit and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas a red dress -- leading the two to say that they chose their colors to show solidarity with Canada.
- Trade war -
The G7 meeting came just as Trump's sweeping 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports came into effect Wednesday, leading the European Union and Canada to unveil billions of dollars in counter-tariffs.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said he raised concerns about the steel and aluminum tariffs in a meeting with Rubio, warning that Americans would be economically hurt.
Kallas said that China -- identified by Trump as the top competitor to the United States -- gained from the trade war Washington was waging on its allies.
Laughing at the side is China. It's definitely benefiting from this. So there are no winners. Eventually, the consumers end up paying more, she told CNN from the talks.