US Secretary of State Marco Rubio went to Canada on Wednesday, marking the higher level visit by a member of the administration of President Donald Trump since the start of a dispute dispute with the country.
Rubio’s journey intervenes while American-Canadian relations continue to deteriorate in the context of the aggressive trade policies of Trump, which included the imposition of prices on steel and aluminum.
Rubio participates in talks of the group’s foreign ministers (G7) in Charlevoix, Quebec, where he will plead for subsequent support for Ukraine, a key question for industrial democracies.
The G7 largely supported Ukraine after the invasion of Russia in 2022, but Rubio’s mission is to push Moscow and kyiv to a cease-fire, urging diplomatic concessions on both sides.
In a very unusual decision, Rubio took a circuit route, leaving the Saudi port city of Jeddah, where he met the best Ukrainian officials the day before. Despite the typically common nature of visits to the United States-Canada, Rubio’s journey takes place in the context of increasingly hostile relations between the two neighbors.
Since his return, Trump has increased tensions, making fun of Canada’s position on the world scene. He even suggested that Canada could become the “51st state” of the United States and submitted the country at a 25% covered tariff on steel and aluminum imports.
This decision, which Trump imposed in Canada and other American business partners, was described as a blow for the bilateral relationship.
Rubio’s arrival coincides with the information that Trump threatened to double the rate rate in Canada this week. However, the American president fell after Ontario, the most populous Canadian province, agreed to relieve an electricity supplement to three American states, temporarily reducing tensions.
Despite these current disputes, Rubio recognized that the two countries shared significant common interests, in particular within the framework of the G7.
“We have to make sure that our shared work on global issues is not compromised by our differences in trade,” said Rubio when he was on the way to Saudi Arabia for a separate diplomatic mission.
He added that he planned to discuss trade tensions with Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly during his visit, but stressed the importance of continuing collaboration on broader questions.
Meanwhile, Justin Trudeau has taken alarms on the existential challenge posed by the United States, the former Governor of the Bank of Canada, Mark Carney, echoing the concerns that the United States seeks greater control over Canadian resources and territory.
This feeling was deepened after the information that Trump sought to revisit the 1908 border treaty between the two nations.
Although Rubio did not directly comment on the potential renegotiation by Trump from the border agreement, he noted that he did not expect the problem during the G7 talks in Quebec.
