G7 talks in Paris weigh impact of US midterms on Trump's foreign policy

The two-day meeting, relocated at short notice from Marseille on security grounds, following weeks of protests across France, is taking place at the French foreign ministry's headquarters.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Paris on Monday morning, making his first overseas trip since the midterm elections in which Democrats won control of both houses of Congress.

He will meet with France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot along with Germany's Johann Wadephul, Britain's Ed Miliband, Canada's Anita Anand, Italy's Antonio Tajani and Japan's Toshimitsu Motegi.

Ukraine top of the agenda

The war in Ukraine is top of the agenda, and the G7 meeting comes ahead of talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

"Europeans will be well represented, and France will be in Abu Dhabi to take part in these discussions," Barrot said in an interview Sunday with RTL and Public Sénat.

Last week, Trump's envoy Jared Kushner said the US would "consult closely" with its European partners on the sidelines of the talks, with the possibility of "moving towards a broader multilateral format involving their direct participation".

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Iran scepticism

The war in the Middle East is also expected to feature prominently, as it did at the G7 meeting in March, when Washington's allies expressed scepticism of the US and Israel-lead war.

There are concerns that further US military action could exacerbate the crisis rather than bring it to an end.

For France, Lebanon is currently the most pressing diplomatic priority, and the issue will be discussed at the G7 meeting, the French foreign ministry said.

France is pushing for discussions on a new UN-backed security framework to replace the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), whose mandate is due to expire on 31 December. Options under consideration include a French-Italian international force.

Chernobyl, drug trafficking on the sidelines

Alongside the G7's discussions, the French Economy and Finance Ministry will host a donor conference on Monday to repair the dome protecting the nuclear reactor that exploded in Ukraine's Chernobyl in 1986 after it was damaged in a Russian strike last year.

France has also organised, in Marseille, the first meeting of a network of 14 major international ports to combat drug trafficking, Barrot announced on Sunday.

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"Overall, 70 percent of drugs entering our country pass through ports. There is therefore a port of departure and a port of arrival," he said in an interview with the AFP news agency.

"By coordinating the efforts of ports, we will be able to curb this scourge."

Barrot stressed the need to tackle drug trafficking "at its roots", targeting both producing and transit countries. He praised the "good cooperation between countries", particularly those in South America.

(with newswires)