G7 FMs call for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, raise alarm over Sudan
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G7 foreign ministers in Canada call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, condemn Sudan’s violence, back humanitarian access in Gaza, while avoiding trade and US strike disputes.
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Foreign Ministers, from left, European Union's Kaja Kallas, Japan's Toshimitsu Motegi, Britain's Yvette Cooper, France's Jean-Noel Barrot, Canada's Anita Anand, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Germany's Johann Wadephul, and Italy's Antonio Tajani at the White Oaks Resort in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, November 11, 2025 (Pool Photo via AP)
The Group of Seven foreign ministers on Wednesday urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and sounded the alarm over surging violence in Sudan as they concluded a two-day meeting near Niagara Falls, Canada.
In a joint statement, the top diplomats from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States voiced “unwavering support” for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and warned that international borders must not be changed by force.
Ukraine ceasefire, tougher economic measures
“An immediate ceasefire is urgently needed,” the ministers said on the war in Ukraine, setting out a range of measures intended to increase the economic cost on Moscow.
The statement said participants discussed options to bolster funding for Ukraine’s defense, including “further leveraging immobilized Russian sovereign assets” held across G7 jurisdictions, a complex strategy that has been the subject of intensive debate within Europe on its legality.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andriy Sybiha, who was invited to the talks, urged the G7 to step up pressure on President Vladimir Putin while strengthening Kiev’s war-making capacity.
“Putin still has an illusion that he can win,” Sybiha said.
“In reality, he has lost over one million soldiers and has not achieved a single strategic goal," the Ukrainian minister added.
“We must make the cost of continuing this war unbearable and dangerous for Putin personally and his regime,” Sybiha threatened.
Canada targets hackers
At the meeting, Canada announced additional sanctions targeting entities Ottawa says are used to launch cyberattacks on Ukraine and the information-technology infrastructure “used in Russia’s hybrid strategies against Ukraine.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Ottawa had also sanctioned vessels thought to be part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” and companies involved in Russia’s liquefied natural gas sector.
“Canada will continue to ensure that Russia’s actions do not go unpunished,” Anand told reporters.
UK pledges more financial support
Britain pledged £13 million ($17.1 million) to help repair Ukraine’s energy sector, which has suffered heavy damage from recent Russian strikes.
Read more: Rubio says US has 'run out' of new Russia sanctions
Sudan condemnations, calls to halt arms flows to RSF
The G7 joint statement strongly condemned the recent escalation of violence in Sudan, saying the conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has produced “the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.”
The ministers urged both sides to “de-escalate, commit to an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and ensure rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged international action to cut off weapons to the RSF and blamed the militia for much of the bloodshed.
“I think something needs to be done to cut off the weapons and support that the RSF is getting as they continue with their advances,” Rubio told reporters as he left the G7 talks.
Rubio said US intelligence has identified outside actors supplying the RSF and that pressure was being applied at the highest levels. Since April 2023, the conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million people. The RSF’s capture of El Fasher two weeks earlier marked the fall of the last city outside the RSF's control in western Darfur and has been followed by reports of mass killings and war crimes.
Read more: Sudan medics accuse RSF of detaining families over army ties
Middle East and Gaza
The ministers welcomed recent moves toward a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli captives and emphasized the urgent need to scale up humanitarian assistance through the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and other international organisations.
The joint statement welcomed “the increased flows of aid, but expressed concern about restrictions that remain in place,” and called on all parties to allow humanitarian access without interference.
The G7 also expressed explicit support for steps in a broader political plan meant to stabilize the region. The ministers stressed the importance of returning the remains of the deceased Israeli captives and pressed for sustained engagement and pursuit of “a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.”
The statement said the G7 would continue to pay special attention to developments in the West Bank.
The G7 ministers made no special mention of "Israel's" war crimes in the Gaza Strip and militarization of the West Bank, nor did they point to "Israel's" aggression and occupation of territories in Lebanon and Syria.
However, the ministers did call on Iran to resume full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), including allowing inspections of declared facilities and nuclear material, and urged Tehran to engage in direct talks with the US with the support of the UK, France, and Germany (the European troika).
It also said the G7 continues to urge UN member states to fulfill their obligations concerning the legal use of the “snapback” mechanism where applicable.
Indo-Pacific, maritime security, DPRK
The ministers asserted their commitment to “a free and open Indo-Pacific grounded in the rule of law,” denounced attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion, and expressed “serious concern” about dangerous manoeuvres, including the use of water cannons, in the South China Sea. The statement reaffirmed that the July 12, 2016, Arbitral Tribunal award remains a significant and binding legal milestone for the parties.
“We remain concerned about China’s military build-up and rapid increase of nuclear weapons arsenal and call on Beijing to demonstrate its commitment to stability through improved transparency,” the statement added.
On the Korean peninsula, the ministers “strongly denounced” the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK’s) nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and reiterated their intent to achieve the complete denuclearization of the DPRK.
Read more: DPRK dismisses denuclearization as South Korean 'pipe dream'
What the meeting avoided
Although the G7 issued forceful language on Ukraine and Sudan, ministers deliberately avoided several contentious topics. The bloc did not take up the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and Canada.
Anand declined to press the matter at the foreign ministers’ meeting, saying, “I am here to talk about the work that the G7 ministers are doing,” and “And that is exactly what I think I should be discussing.”
She told reporters that “issues relating to trade fall within the purview of other cabinet ministers.”
Questions about recent US military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific also did not surface in plenary sessions. Rubio told reporters that the operations and any related questions about intelligence sharing were not raised by other ministers.
“It didn’t come up once,” Rubio said, and he denied reports that Britain had curtailed intelligence cooperation, “Again, nothing has changed or happened that has impeded in any way our ability to do what we’re doing.”
However, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot criticized the recent military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean, saying the operations “disregard international law” and could destabilize territories where France has citizens.
“We have observed with concern military operations in the Caribbean region because they disregard international law and because France has a presence in this region through its overseas territories, where more than a million of our compatriots reside,” Barrot told reporters.
Additionally, the G7 group, Canada, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, invited partners to the talks. Canada’s presidency extended invitations to the foreign ministers of Australia, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, and Ukraine.
“G7 members agreed to pursue concrete initiatives, jointly with partners, to address vulnerabilities by reducing our dependencies, and strengthening our collective economic resilience and security,” the statement concluded.
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