Rebuilding US foreign policy after Trump

Top diplomats from the Group of Seven industrialized democracies gathered in Paris on Monday for two days of talks shadowed by the Republican Party's heavy losses in the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, which flipped control of both the House and Senate to Democrats. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on his first overseas trip since the elections, faced questions from allies about whether the Trump administration would shift its positions on the Russia-Ukraine war, Iran, energy security, artificial intelligence, and the International Criminal Court. Rubio told reporters before leaving Washington that the U.S. has seen divided government before and that allies understand the American system. "We have national elections in our country every two years," he said. "We've seen it before. We've seen elections go one direction, and a couple years later go another. It's just a feature of our system." Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Washington's approach is an open question given the president's executive powers and the change in congressional leadership. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Europe is willing to work with whatever U.S. administration or Congress exists but is waiting to see how the midterms affect policy. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul welcomed planned talks in Abu Dhabi between U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Ukrainian and Russian officials but stressed Europe must be part of any resolution. "There can be no solution without Europe, only with Europe," he said. Rubio said postwar security guarantees for Ukraine have been a top concern for allies and that some advances have been made on the architecture, though nothing is finalized. On Iran, Rubio said the sides are not on "the verge of a breakthrough" and called Iranian demands "outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic," while reiterating Trump prefers a diplomatic solution. The administration is pushing to dismantle the ICC, to which all G7 members except the U.S. belong, and has imposed sanctions on the court and its employees. Rubio said he raised "U.S. fundamental concerns about the International Criminal Court" with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. Kallas defended the ICC, saying the bloc wants to show U.S. worries are not based on the Rome Statute and that "we need more accountability, not less." Rubio also posted on X emphasizing the need for UN agencies to eliminate wasteful bureaucracy and make humanitarian aid temporary, targeted, and accountable. Speculation continues about Rubio's political future, with reports he may run in 2028, though he denied considering leaving the administration early and told The New York Times, "I literally will not talk about 2028 anymore."