Foreign ministers from the G7 — France, Italy, Britain, Germany, Canada, Japan and the United States — alongside the European Union, are holding two-day château talks in the French countryside.
The spotlight will be on U.S. Secretary of State Marko Rubio, who arrived early on Friday. Allies will seek clarity on Washington’s endgame in the Middle East, while Rubio is set to reiterate the Trump administration’s calls for assistance.
Expectations should be tempered on both sides.
Iran has already shot down a 15-point U.S. proposal that would have dismantled its nuclear program, curbed its missile capabilities and reopened the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, NATO allies’ refusal to heed Washington’s call to arms looks even wiser now than it did at the war’s opening salvos in February.
After Iran’s rejection of the peace plan, the White House vowed to “unleash hell.” On Friday, however, it delayed strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure by 10 days, pushing back a deadline that was set to expire today.
Trump appears increasingly in search of an off-ramp. But while Washington insists high-level talks are ongoing, Iranian state media says the leadership doubts the administration’s willingness to negotiate. After all, the U.S. was already engaged in high-level talks with Tehran when the first bombs fell.
Iran is executing a decades-honed asymmetric strategy — from the low-tech tactics of its war with Iraq to its support for proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas. Those same decentralized networks are now sustaining its war effort under bombardment, while it targets regional financial and energy systems in an attempt to drive a wedge between Washington and its Gulf allies.
Meanwhile, the EU, however conflicted, sees clearly that Russia is a prime beneficiary of Trump’s Middle East quagmire — and Vladimir Putin more emboldened than ever to continue his four-year military campaign in Ukraine.
As foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday, Moscow is providing Tehran with intelligence and drones to kill Americans. “These wars are very much interlinked. If America wants the war in the Middle East to stop...they should also put the pressure on Russia.”
What we're writing
Peder Schaefer: How Trump broke Poland’s defense consensus
In the American president's second term, just 30% of Poles see the U.S. as a reliable ally, and a growing share of voters and leaders are turning toward the European Union instead.
Paula Soler (Q&A): Should the EU punish Hungary ahead of next month’s vote?
MEP Daniel Freund said in an interview that member states and EU leaders have ignored "the Orbán problem" for too long and that the bloc should move to cut Hungary out of sensitive negotiations immediately.
Peder Schaefer: Brussels sees rise of a pro-EU right
A young right-wing movement is gaining ground with an anti-immigrant, pan-Europeanist mantra.
Ana Tsitlidze (Op-ed): Georgia's democratic backsliding requires EU action
An OSCE report found the erosion of judicial independence, pressure on opposition figures and restrictions on media in Georgia, strengthening the case for a decisive EU response.
What we're reading
Economist: Russia wants to limit contact with the outside world
A recent internet blackout reflects the Kremlin’s nervousness.
The Atlantic: The war with Iran is exposing big problems for the military
What we have learned about the strengths and weaknesses of the American way of war.
Foreign Policy: How high could energy prices go?
On the winners and losers from conflict in the Middle East.
What we're following
The European Parliament on Thursday approved a law that will make it easier to set up migrant detention centers outside the European Union. Look out for Margherita Dalla Vecchia’s analysis next week.
Sign up to The Parliament's weekly newsletter
Every Friday our editorial team goes behind the headlines to offer insight and analysis on the key stories driving the EU agenda. Subscribe for free here.