Rubio Heads to France for First Post-Midterm Trip Amid Scrutiny of Trump Foreign Policy

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio embarks on his first overseas trip since the midterm elections dealt Republicans a severe setback, raising questions about how the Trump administration will recalibrate policies such as the Iran conflict that contributed to Democratic gains in Congress.

The State Department announced Friday that Rubio will depart this weekend for a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in France. The gathering will test whether President Donald Trump intends to soften his often confrontational stance toward allies and adversaries following Tuesday’s sweeping Republican losses.

In a brief statement, the department said Rubio would use the talks to “advance American interests in engagements with his G7 counterparts.” While Rubio is widely viewed as projecting a more diplomatic face for the administration, persistent speculation — denied by him and his aides — suggests he may exit early to position himself for a 2028 presidential bid.

The G7 sessions on Monday and Tuesday follow a broader G20 foreign ministers meeting Rubio hosted in Atlanta last weekend, which yielded little consensus on major global challenges. That meeting, which included Russia and China, concluded without a joint communiqué, producing only a chairman’s statement from Rubio.

Comprising the world’s leading industrialized democracies — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan — the G7 consists entirely of U.S. allies. Yet the divisions that hampered agreement in Atlanta are likely to resurface in Paris, particularly on global security.

In Paris, ministers will again grapple with unresolved crises, including the wars in Iran and Ukraine, as well as worsening energy and food security. French officials have already signaled that this meeting, like the G20, will not produce a joint communiqué.

France has invited Brazil, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine to join portions of the discussions. Its priorities span Ukraine, Iran, freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, the broader Middle East — including Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria — as well as Africa, the Indo-Pacific, China, Venezuela, Cuba, and Haiti. Separate sessions on artificial intelligence and support for Ukraine are also planned, according to the French foreign ministry.

Trump and his administration have unsettled G7 partners on issues ranging from support for Ukraine, NATO burden-sharing, and trade tariffs to the Iran war and opposition to the International Criminal Court. All G7 members except Japan, which maintains a separate treaty alliance with Washington, belong to NATO.

To Europe’s dismay, Trump has reduced military aid to Ukraine as it defends against Russia and repeatedly suggested the United States might not honor its NATO defense commitments unless allies increase defense spending. He has also proposed drawing down the U.S. military presence in Europe, a cornerstone of continental security since World War II.

That military footprint also factors into the administration’s campaign to undermine the ICC, the world’s first permanent war crimes tribunal, to which every G7 nation except the United States is a party. The Trump administration has imposed harsh sanctions on the court and its staff, and may extend penalties next year to governments, companies, and individuals that cooperate with it.

The European Union is weighing a “blocking statute” to shield EU entities from U.S. secondary sanctions, a move the Trump administration has warned would be considered hostile and could damage transatlantic relations.

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