US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that the United States would oppose “antagonistic” language towards Russia when G7 foreign ministers meet in Canada this week.
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“Ultimately we can’t sign on to any communique that’s not consistent with our position to bring both sides to the table,” Rubio told reporters as he flew to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for talks with Ukraine.
The position is not about “taking anyone’s side, but because we feel like antagonistic language sometimes makes it harder to bring parties to the table”, Rubio said
Rubio acknowledged that the other members of the Group of Seven (G7) major advanced economies – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan – felt differently.
But he said of the United States: “We’re the only ones right now that seem to be in a position to make talks like that possible.”
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US President Donald Trump has sharply shifted the position of the United States, which last month voted with Russia and against most of its Western allies on a UN resolution that avoided calling on Moscow to withdraw fully from territory it has seized.