LA MALBAIE, Canada \u2014 Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied the U.S. was in a trade war Friday as he wrapped up his trip to a meeting of top diplomats from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not a trade war,\u201d Rubio said. \u201cThe United States is resetting its trade relations globally to a level of equilibrium, to a level of reciprocity.\u201d<\/p>\n
That comment was in direct conflict with M\u00e9lanie Joly, Canada\u2019s foreign minister, who just hours earlier told reporters that the Trump administration \u201cwas engaging in a trade war against Canada\u201d and European countries. On Thursday, President Donald Trump threatened 200% tariffs on alcohol from the European Union after slapping 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joly said she had a very long conversation with Rubio.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will put maximum pressure on the Americans,\u201d she insisted.<\/p>\n
The contradiction between the two diplomats overshadowed the G7 meeting\u2019s official agenda, which included Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine and relations with China. Instead, turmoil over tariffs loomed over the gathering. The newly frosty relationship between the longtime allies unfolded as frigid temperatures greeted the foreign ministers when they first arrived for the meeting on Tuesday. On Thursday, Trump once again mocked Canada from the Oval Office as the diplomats met in Qu\u00e9bec.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanada only works as a state,\u201d Trump said. \u201cWe don\u2019t need anything they have.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Friday, Joly blasted the comments and insisted she did not take them as a joke \u2014 but instead, as a serious threat.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanada\u2019s sovereignty is not up for debate,\u201d she said. \u201cPeriod.\u201d<\/p>\n
The diplomatic tussle between the U.S. and Canada also escalated in Ottawa Friday as Mark Carney was sworn in as the new prime minister.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s crazy. His point is crazy. That\u2019s it,\u201d Carney said. \u201cWe will never, ever, in any way, shape or form, be part of the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n
After initially stressing that the topic did not come up during his conversations with G7 diplomats, Rubio was pressed about whether Trump was serious when he says Canada should become the 51st state.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Canadian government has made their position, how they feel about it clear. The president has made his argument as to why he thinks Canada would be better off joining the United States for economic purposes,\u201d Rubio said. \u201cThere\u2019s a disagreement between the President\u2019s position and the position of the Canadian government.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rubio also noted the president says he loves Canada.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joly said she was trying to find an \u201coff-ramp\u201d to the trade dispute, but Rubio claimed there was no need for one because this was about the U.S. resetting its trade policy.<\/p>\n
Rubio also said Trump\u2019s tariff policy was not hostile to countries around the world, despite Trump calling the European Union \u201chostile and abusive\u201d Thursday on social media. In the Oval Office later in the day, Trump added: \u201cThe European Union is very, very nasty.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n During an interview with NBC News, Kaja Kallas, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security policy, said it was an overall \u201cgood\u201d G7 meeting and touted the discussions about Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine and a variety of issues. But she acknowledged the EU\u2019s diplomats didn\u2019t like Trump\u2019s Thursday comments.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, these kinds of statements come as a surprise because we have long been friends and allies with the United States,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve done a lot of good things together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t really understand how we have deserved\u201d these comments, she said.<\/p>\n Still, on Ukraine, the U.S. drew incrementally closer to its G7 allies Friday \u2014 at least for now. The gathering\u2019s joint foreign ministers\u2019 communique supported Ukraine\u2019s territorial integrity and warned Russia to accept a ceasefire or face possible further sanctions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rubio denied it marked any shift in U.S. policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never heard President Trump say that Russia has a right to take all of Ukraine and do whatever they want there,\u201d he said. \u201cSo that\u2019s not inconsistent with that statement.\u201d<\/p>\n The agreement followed weeks of tension between U.S. allies and Trump over his Ukraine policy.<\/p>\n The agreement among the G7 nations \u2014 comprising Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S. \u2014 emphasized the need for \u201csecurity arrangements\u201d to secure a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, although Rubio declined to offer specifics on what those security arrangements might be. Ukraine\u2019s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had famously clashed with Trump in the Oval Office over the issue of the U.S. providing security guarantees to move along a peace deal.<\/p>\n Speaking with reporters, Rubio also touted a \u201cpositive and productive engagement\u201d between Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladamir Putin Thursday in Moscow, but he declined to speculate about the next steps in any ceasefire negotiations because Witkoff was still en route back to the U.S.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there was reason to be optimistic,\u201d Rubio said. \u201cBy the same token, we continue to recognize this is a difficult and complex situation.\u201d<\/p>\n Rubio was asked by NBC News whether he trusted Putin.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s an irrelevant question,\u201d he responded. \u201cI think in foreign policy, it\u2019s not about trusting. It\u2019s about action\u2026You can\u2019t just say you want peace. You have to do peace \u2014 and that\u2019s true for both sides in any conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not about personalities,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"G7](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2025-03\/250314-g7-ch-1210-ef821e.jpg\")
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