Allies preserve unity even as Trump's tariffs and Canada taunts overshadow G7 meeting

LA MALBAIE, Quebec (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies agreed Friday on a joint statement expressing support for Ukraine and a U.S. ceasefire proposal in the three-year-old war even as President Donald Trump’s trade policies and taunts toward host Canada overshadowed the talks.

Despite the tensions, diplomats from the U.S., Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan signed off on a final communique after hours of late-night negotiations. There were concerns that the bloc’s once solid unity had been thrown into irreversible disarray by Trump's whopping tariffs on steel and aluminum and threats for additional levies if there is any retaliation.

Although the trade war and Trump’s repeated comments about turning Canada into the 51st state distracted from the discussions, diplomats were able to rally around his Ukraine peace plan.

“G7 members reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its territorial integrity and right to exist, and its freedom, sovereignty and independence," the communique said. “G7 members called for Russia to reciprocate by agreeing to a ceasefire on equal terms and implementing it fully.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied after the meeting that the G7 support for Ukraine's territorial sovereignty strayed from the Trump administration's position, including its insistence that Ukraine must be open to ceding control of some land to Russia to get a peace deal.

“I’ve never heard President Trump say that Russia has a right to take all of Ukraine and do whatever they want there," Rubio told reporters. "So that’s not inconsistent.”

The G7 diplomats discussed, but did not detail, imposing further sanctions on Russia — including the possibility of selling seized Russian assets to fund Ukraine's defense — should Russia not accept and respect a ceasefire and providing additional support for Ukraine in that event.

In a significant change from the past, the G7 statement did not contain a specific condemnation of Russia for invading Ukraine. Rubio had said prior to the meetings that the U.S. did not see the value in antagonizing Russian President Vladimir Putin while he was considering Trump’s ceasefire proposal.

Putin said Thursday he agrees with the plan in principle, but set out a host of details that need to be clarified before it is accepted.

The G7 statement “emphasized that any ceasefire must be respected and underscored the need for robust and credible security arrangements to ensure that Ukraine can deter and defend against any renewed acts of aggression.”

Still, Trump’s apparent desire to draw Putin back into the fold — including saying he would like to see Russia rejoin the group to restore it to the G8 — continues to alarm G7 members. Russia was thrown out of the G8 after it seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Despite the agreement on key points, Trump's policies were front and center as the allies gathered for two days of talks at a snowy resort in La Malbaie, Quebec.

All G7 members are affected by the tariffs but perhaps none more so than Canada, the only one that borders the United States and the only one that Trump has personally antagonized with repeated derogatory comments about it becoming the 51st state.

Rubio, on his first official trip to Canada and his first to a G7 event, heard a litany of complaints as he met with his counterparts.

Many of them, notably the Japanese, appealed to Rubio to use what influence he might have with Trump to spare their country from harsh trade treatment. But Trump has said he will not relent.

"We will put maximum pressure on the Americans and, meanwhile, will work on looking for off-ramps," Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly told reporters Friday. “The Trump tariffs are going to hurt Americans. That’s our message, that’s our approach."

Rubio, who called Joly a friend, said the tariffs are not meant to be a “hostile move” against allies but are about making trade fair. Those benefiting from previous arrangements likely do “feel it is hostile to change the status quo because it’s to your benefit," he told reporters.

Joly said her discussion with Rubio had been “frank” — diplomatic code for “blunt.”

“I wanted to be able to have a frank conversation," Joly said. "Of course, Canada’s sovereignty is not up for debate and we had a long conversation on tariffs and trade.”

After Trump reiterated in the Oval Office on Thursday that "Canada only works as a state,” Joly stood firm.

“What I said to the secretary is that Canada’s sovereignty is not up for debate. Period," she said Friday. “There is no argument. There is no conversation about it.” She added, as if addressing him, "You are here, you respect us, you respect our sovereignty, you respect our people. Period.”

Rubio told reporters Friday that Trump “loves Canada” and has simply “made an argument for why Canada would be better off joining the United States from an economic perspective and the like. He’s made that argument repeatedly, and I think it stands for itself.”

Joly noted that many of the allies thought Trump's comments were a joke.

“I said to them this is not a joke — Canadians are anxious, Canadians are proud people, and you are here in a sovereign country, and so therefore, we don’t expect this to be even discussed, clearly not laughed at,” she said.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said G7 nations should avoid panic and posted a message of support for Canada on X, featuring a photo of her and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. “We’ve got your back, @melaniejoly,” she wrote. “#Canada #Solidarity."

Friday’s sessions were shortened due to Joly’s need to depart earlier than planned to attend Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s swearing-in ceremony and first Cabinet meeting.

The final communique presented common positions not only on Ukraine but on the Middle East, wars in Africa and Chinese activity in the South China Sea.

On the Middle East, the communique did not, as it has in previous years, express support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But it did recognize the need for the Palestinians to have a “political horizon” to reach their aspirations.

“All of that has united us,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. “So this has been a unified conference in which we have found common ground. And I’m pleased at the effort and the sense of warmth that exists across the partners in the G7.”

Associated Press writers Rob Gillies in Toronto and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with reporters following the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)

From left, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, British Foreign Minister David Lammy, French Foreign Minister Jean-No'l Barrot, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani pose for a photo during the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Canada, Friday March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly awaits the arrival of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Canada, Friday March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)

From left, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, British Foreign Minister David Lammy, French Foreign Minister Jean-No'l Barrot, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani pose for a photo during the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Canada, Friday March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot attends the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Canada, Friday March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)

Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi attends the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Canada, Friday March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, left, speaks alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Canada, Friday March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly awaits the arrival of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Canada, Friday March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy speaks during an interview on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Canada, Friday March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, left, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pose for photos on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Canada, Friday March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly (C) speaks alongside, from left, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, at the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Canada, Friday March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing at least 404 Palestinians, including women and children, according to hospital officials. The surprise bombardment shattered a ceasefire in place since January and threatened to fully reignite the 17-month-old war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strikes after Hamas refused Israeli demands to change the ceasefire agreement. Officials said the operation was open-ended and was expected to expand. The White House said it had been consulted and voiced support for Israel's actions.

The Israeli military ordered people to evacuate eastern Gaza, including much of the northern town of Beit Hanoun and other communities further south, and head toward the center of the territory, indicating that Israel could soon launch renewed ground operations.

“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Netanyahu’s office said.

The attack during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan could resume a war that has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza. It also raised questions about the fate of the roughly two dozen Israeli hostages held by Hamas who are believed to still be alive.

A senior Hamas official said Netanyahu’s decision to return to war amounts to a “death sentence” for the remaining hostages. Izzat al-Risheq accused Netanyahu of launching the strikes to try and save his far-right governing coalition and called on mediators to “reveal facts” on who broke the truce. Hamas said at least four senior officials were killed in Tuesday's strikes.

There were no reports of any attacks by Hamas several hours after the bombardment, indicating it still hoped to restore the truce.

The strikes came as Netanyahu comes under mounting domestic pressure, with mass protests planned over his handling of the hostage crisis and his decision to fire the head of Israel's internal security agency. His latest testimony in a long-running corruption trial was canceled after the strikes.

The main group representing families of the captives accused the government of backing out of the ceasefire, saying it “chose to give up on the hostages.”

“We are shocked, angry and terrified by the deliberate dismantling of the process to return our loved ones from the terrible captivity of Hamas,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

A strike on a home in the southern city of Rafah killed 17 members of one family, including at least 12 women and children, according to the European Hospital, which received the bodies. The dead included five children, their parents, and another father and his three children.

In the southern city of Khan Younis, Associated Press reporters saw explosions and plumes of smoke. Ambulances brought wounded people to Nasser Hospital, where patients lay on the floor, some screaming. A young girl cried as her bloody arm was bandaged.

Many Palestinians said they had expected a return to war when talks over the second phase of the ceasefire did not begin as scheduled in early February. Israel instead embraced an alternative proposal and cut off all shipments of food, fuel and other aid to the territory's 2 million Palestinians to try to pressure Hamas to accept it.

“Nobody wants to fight,” Palestinian resident Nidal Alzaanin told the AP by phone from Gaza City. "Everyone is still suffering from the previous months,” he said.

Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 404 people were killed in the strikes and more than 560 had been wounded. It revised its confirmed count after saying earlier Tuesday that 413 were dead and 660 wounded. Rescuers were still searching the rubble for dead and wounded as the strikes continued. It was among the deadliest days of the war.

The White House sought to blame Hamas for the renewed fighting. National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said the militant group "could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war.”

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the unfolding operation, said Israel was striking Hamas' military, leaders and infrastructure and planned to expand the operation beyond air attacks. The official accused Hamas of attempting to rebuild and plan new attacks. Hamas militants and security forces quickly returned to the streets in recent weeks after the ceasefire went into effect.

Netanyahu's office said the Israeli leader held security consultations with senior officials. It did not provide further details.

The strikes came two months after a ceasefire was reached to pause the war. Over six weeks, Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight more in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in a first phase of the ceasefire.

But since that ceasefire ended two weeks ago, the sides have not been able to agree on a way forward with a second phase aimed at releasing the 59 remaining hostages, 35 of whom are believed to be dead, and ending the war altogether.

Hamas has demanded an end to the war and full withdrawal of Israeli troops in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages. Israel says it will not end the war until it destroys Hamas' governing and military capabilities and frees all hostages — two goals that could be incompatible.

Netanyahu's office on Tuesday said Hamas had “repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all offers it received from the U.S. presidential envoy, Steve Witkoff, and from the mediators.”

Israel wants Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in return for a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. Hamas instead wants to follow the ceasefire deal reached by the two sides, which calls for negotiations to begin on the ceasefire’s more difficult second phase, in which the remaining hostages would be released and Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza.

A return to war would allow Netanyahu to avoid the tough trade-offs called for in the second phase of the agreement and the thorny question of who would govern Gaza. It would also shore up his coalition, which depends on far-right lawmakers who want to depopulate Gaza and re-build Jewish settlements there.

The war erupted when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Most have been released in ceasefires or other deals, with israeli forces rescuing only eight and recovering dozens of bodies.

Israel responded with a military offensive that killed over 48,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and displaced an estimated 90% of Gaza's population. The territory's Health Ministry doesn't differentiate between civilians and militants, but says over half of the dead have been women and children.

The ceasefire had brought some relief to Gaza and allowed hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to resume to what remained of their homes.

The released hostages, some of whom were emaciated, have repeatedly implored the government to press ahead with the ceasefire to return all remaining captives. Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken part in mass demonstrations calling for a ceasefire and return of all hostages.

Mass demonstrations are planned later Tuesday and Wednesday following Netanyahu's announcement this week that he wants to fire the head of Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency. Critics have lambasted the move as an attempt by Netanyahu to divert blame for his government's failures in the Oct. 7 attack and handling of the war.

Since the ceasefire in Gaza began in mid-January, Israeli forces have killed dozens of Palestinians who the military says approached its troops or entered unauthorized areas.

Still, the deal has tenuously held without an outbreak of wide violence. Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to mediate the next steps in the ceasefire.

Federman reported from Jerusalem and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press reporters Mohammad Jahjouh in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip; Abdel Kareem Hana in Gaza City, Gaza Strip; Fatma Khaled in Cairo; and Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

A woman reacts as she stands over the bodies of people killed during overnight Israeli army airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A woman carries the body of a child to Al-Ahli hospital following overnight Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A woman reacts over the body of a person killed during overnight Israeli army airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A woman reacts next to bodies of Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli army airstrikes are brought to the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Mourners gather around the bodies of Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli army airstrikes as they are brought to Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Mourners gather around the bodies of Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli army airstrikes as they are brought to Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the damage at Al-Tabi'in School in central Gaza Strip following an Israeli airstrike, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians inspect the damage at Al-Tabi'in School in central Gaza Strip following an Israeli airstrike, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A man carries a covered body following overnight Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

EDS NOTE GRAPHIC CONTENT.- A man carries the body of a child to the Al-Ahli hospital following multiple overnight Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Bodies of people killed during overnight Israeli army airstrikes across the Gaza Strip are left in the yard of the the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians inspect the damage at Al-Tabi'in School in central Gaza Strip following an Israeli airstrike, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians inspect the damage at Al-Tabi'in School in central Gaza Strip following an Israeli airstrike, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

People gather around the bodies of Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli army airstrikes as they are brought to the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian man holds the body of his 11 month-old nephew Mohammad Shaban, killed in an Israeli army airstrikes at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli army airstrikes are brought to Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Injured Palestinians wait for treatment at the hospital following Israeli army airstrikes in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Jahjouh)

The bodies of Palestinians killed in an Israeli army airstrikes are brought to Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A body of a Palestinian killed in an Israeli army airstrikes is brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The bodies of Palestinians killed in an Israeli army airstrikes are brought to Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians mourn their relative who was killed in an Israeli army airstrikes, at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The bodies of Palestinians killed in an Israeli army airstrikes are brought to Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The bodies of Palestinians killed in an Israeli army airstrikes are brought to Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The bodies of Palestinians killed in an Israeli army airstrikes are brought to Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - EDS NOTE GRAPHIC CONTENT.- Palestinians hold the hands of their relative who was killed in an Israeli army airstrike, at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Karem Hanna)

A body of a Palestinian killed in an Israeli army airstrikes is brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

An injured man waits for treatment on the floor of a hospital following Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Jahjouh)

Injured Palestinians wait for treatment at the hospital following Israeli army airstrikes in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Jahjouh)

A man mourns over the body of a child, lying among other victims at the hospital morgue, following Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Jahjouh)

A man mourns as he places the body of a child in the hospital morgue following Israeli army airstrikes in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Jahjouh)

An ambulance carrying victims of an Israeli army strike arrives at the hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday March 18, 2025.(AP Photo/ Mohammad Jahjouh)

A dead person killed during an Israeli army strike is taken into the hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday March 18, 2025.(AP Photo/ Mohammad Jahjouh)

A dead person killed during an Israeli army strike is taken into the hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday March 18, 2025.(AP Photo/ Mohammad Jahjouh)