All eyes will be on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will participate in the meetings of the G7 foreign ministers, which France is hosting on Monday and Tuesday in her capacity as president of the group for the current year. After these meetings were scheduled to be held at the “Faro Palace” in the coastal city of Marseille, the French government decided to move them to Paris “for operational and logistical reasons,” denying that this was related to the student and trade union movement that has been shaking France for four weeks.
It is expected that Rubio will be the “star of the meetings” in view of the political earthquake that struck his country in the midterm elections, which witnessed the Democratic Party’s control of both chambers of Congress, and the interest of the Group of Seven, which consists of Washington’s closest allies, in learning about what might change in US foreign policy and regarding the major crises in the world, whether it is the war in Ukraine or the state of “neither peace nor war” in the Gulf and the Gaza war, and the fate of the American peace plan, in addition to the economic and financial files.
The “G7” consists of: the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada. Paris invited the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Brazil, South Korea and Ukraine to participate in the meetings. It will be important to note how Rubio behaves with his Brazilian counterpart, Moro Vieira, knowing that his president, Donald Trump, refused to invite Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, to attend the G20 summit that Trump will host in the middle of next month in Miami.
The Paris meetings will not differ from their predecessors in that they provide an opportunity for the seven largest liberal countries in the world to review the crises that are shaking the world. Therefore, the French presidency framed it through five meetings, three of which were on Monday. The first of these meetings will be within the framework of a “working lunch” that will include the foreign ministers of the seven countries alone. French diplomatic sources said that the purpose of the meeting is to discuss the hot issues spread around the world and the challenges that must be dealt with, from the maritime region between the Indian and Pacific Oceans to the problems of the Horn of Africa, all the way to Sudan, and extending to the American continent (Cuba, Venezuela, and Haiti). All of this constitutes a wide range of crises. French sources say that the purpose of its proposal is to seek to provide a “harmonious vision” for the “group” regarding the wars and current problems. The upcoming lunch provides each of the seven participating ministers with an opportunity to raise the issues he wants in addition to those that are currently imposing.
Special session on Middle East crises
However, Paris devoted three additional meetings to global issues, the first of which was on Monday evening within the framework of a “working dinner” that French diplomacy views with great interest, given that it includes the seven ministers alone and that it is “free,” that is, without a predetermined agenda. The Middle East crises will be the sole focus of the Tuesday morning meeting, which will be held in the presence of the foreign ministers of Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Of course, it will be dominated by the file of the war with Iran and its annexes, that is, the freedom of navigation in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, the security of energy supplies and alternative routes, with the possibility of dealing with the files of the situation in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. The last meeting will be devoted to Ukraine, in the presence of its Foreign Minister.
As for the Middle East, as well as the Ukrainian file, the attendees will follow with great interest what the US Secretary of State will say, especially since a tripartite meeting (America - Russia - Ukraine) will be hosted by Abu Dhabi next Tuesday regarding the war that has been going on there since the beginning of 2022. On Saturday, the US State Department issued a statement saying that Secretary Rubio will take advantage of the Paris meetings in order to “promote American interests by communicating with his counterparts in the Group of Seven.” News had previously circulated that Rubio would leave office to prepare for the US presidential elections in 2028. However, he denied this, and those close to him said that he would remain in office until the end of Trump’s second term. It is no secret that there is a competition between him and US Vice President J.D. Vance to win the Republican Party nomination for the upcoming presidential elections.
“Non-Europeans should not delve into the issue of European security.”
In an interview with French radio RTL on Sunday afternoon, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that the “European trio” (France, Britain and Germany) will participate in the Abu Dhabi meeting, given that the Europeans consider it unacceptable to discuss the Ukrainian file, which is closely linked to the security file in Europe, without the presence of the Europeans. In addition, the European countries that make up the “Coalition of the Willing,” which was launched last spring at a French-British initiative, are preparing to conduct military exercises in Poland in preparation for the mission they intend to undertake after the war between Russia and Ukraine stops. Hence, the Europeans who have suffered greatly from the fluctuation of Trump’s positions regarding the war in Ukraine and his relationship with Russia and its president, the latest of which was his decision to lift the ban on purchasing Russian diesel and inviting his Russian counterpart to participate in the G20 summit, do not know which option his decisions will anchor, whether in the Ukrainian file or in the Iranian file.
Diplomatic sources in Paris say that the Europeans, who bear the brunt of military and financial support for Kiev after Trump decided, since his return to the White House, to stop providing American aid in terms of armaments and financing, are concerned about their inability to anticipate the approach that the American president will take regarding these two wars.
A French presidential source said: “The European security file will not be discussed by non-Europeans.” Their concern is compounded by field developments and the current focus of Russian forces on attacking Ukrainian energy facilities, in addition to civilian objects. Recently, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, requested $70 billion in aid for the year 2027, noting that European countries are suffering from great financial difficulties, most notably France, which faces unprecedented levels of debt, which will reach 3,600 billion euros by the end of the year, with interest arising from it that will not be less than 80 billion euros.
Diplomatic sources said that discussion of the Ukrainian file will focus on four elements: strengthening Ukraine's military capabilities, financial support, air defense and anti-missile systems, and finally the energy file.
It remains that the G7 ministers and their guests will devote one of their five meetings, on Monday afternoon, to the file of artificial intelligence and the challenges it poses at the global level. The G7 Summit, hosted by France in the city of Evian-les-Bains overlooking Lake Geneva, devoted a long session to this issue that occupies the world due to the intense competition between companies developing artificial intelligence and the consequences of its applications at all levels of life, economic and financial, including the security and military levels.
Russian strikes targeting energy infrastructure in Ukraine caused power outages to hundreds of thousands of homes in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions, according to what the authorities and an energy supply company announced on Sunday. This came as the European Union confirmed its participation in the negotiations scheduled between Moscow and Kiev under American sponsorship in Abu Dhabi next Tuesday and Wednesday. Moscow is intensifying its daily attacks using drones and missiles to target electricity networks, which raises Ukrainians’ fear of spending a new harsh winter that will witness power and heating outages, in light of the war that Russia began in February 2022.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region in the center of the country, the energy supplier DTEK announced via Telegram that “more than 600,000 residents of the region were cut off from electricity” after “a night attack caused damage to vital energy facilities.” The company explained that it is working to restore electricity, but the task is “complicated by repeated attacks.” In another attack, a Russian drone hit a “vital infrastructure facility” in the Kharkiv region in the northeast of the country. The mayor of the city of Zlatopl, Mykola Baksheev, said on social media that “about 250,000 customers in the Kharkiv region were cut off from electricity,” noting that repairs had begun, but “the exact date for the return of the electricity supply is still unknown.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of intensifying its strikes to pressure Kiev ahead of tripartite US-brokered talks scheduled in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Zelensky said the night strikes caused “a widespread power outage across the country.” He added: “In the Zhytomir region alone, heating was cut off in 140 residential buildings following a Russian strike,” at a time when temperatures in Ukraine were approaching zero. He also pointed out that Russia launched a drone towards Kumichovakha, a village in the Zaporizhya region, where Moscow targeted an aid distribution center on Monday, in one of the bloodiest attacks since the outbreak of the war.
Fears of a harsh winter
Zelensky revealed that the death toll had risen to 55 people, after emergency services had previously announced the death of 50 people, adding: “This morning, the Russians attacked Kumichovakha with an FPV drone, as search and rescue operations have been continuing for seven days... Unfortunately, there may be more people under the rubble.”
The new strikes came the day after the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy announced that a large-scale attack on vital facilities caused a power outage to residents of five regions, and greatly hindered power transmission in Kiev. Russia has been targeting the Ukrainian energy network and infrastructure throughout the war, but its impact becomes more painful as winter approaches, in light of the extreme cold and temperatures near zero. The strikes also coincided with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot's announcement that his country and the European Union would attend the negotiations scheduled for Abu Dhabi, without clarifying the nature or level of representation. Barrow said in radio statements on Sunday: “The Europeans will be representatives, and France will be present in Abu Dhabi to participate in these discussions.” He added: “I cannot tell you yet who will represent France on this occasion, but it will be present.”
“Europe will make its voice heard”
The French minister continued, “Some of the discussions took place without the Europeans, and others were in the presence of the Europeans.” They will participate this time. France will be present and Europe’s voice will be heard.”
The French Foreign Minister's position came after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticized the European "confusion" in these negotiations, demanding that the bloc clarify who is speaking on its behalf, according to a letter seen by Agence France-Presse on Thursday.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaya Kallas stressed on Friday the need for the bloc to participate in any settlement of the most violent conflict in Europe since World War II. Barrow did not specify the nature of French or European participation in Abu Dhabi, but he stressed that the Europeans recently informed the Americans that “any discussion related to the future of this continent cannot ignore our aspirations or requirements.”
Since his return to the White House in early 2025, the Donald Trump administration has been making diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement to the war that has been raging in Ukraine since 2022, without achieving any significant breakthrough yet.
After meeting with an envoy of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Thursday, the US President expected to reach a “very large” agreement with Russia that is not limited to Ukraine only, but may include “the entire Europe.” However, the following day, the European Union stressed that peace in Ukraine still requires “a lot of work,” and that the final decision on issues related to the continent’s security rests with the bloc and no one else.
Ukraine and its European allies fear that Washington will put pressure on them to accept a settlement agreement that meets many of what Russia demands. US envoy Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, stressed on Thursday that Washington "will consult closely with our European partners" on the sidelines of the talks in Abu Dhabi, and that if progress is made, "the goal will be to move to an expanded multilateral formula in which they will participate directly."
Secret investigation documents obtained by the British newspaper The Telegraph revealed exciting allegations regarding the role of a spy working for Russia in the overthrow of former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who resigned from his position in October 2021, against the backdrop of investigations related to accusations of corruption and misuse of public funds.
According to the documents, contained in secret investigation files seen by The Telegraph, the spy Jan Marszalek, the fugitive former CEO of the German Wirecard company who is wanted in fraud and espionage cases, informed Aurelien Rousseff, who led a Russian spy network in Britain and was sentenced to prison, in letters exchanged between them, that he participated in an operation that led to the “successful overthrow” of Kurz.
The messages exchanged between the two men, on October 22, 2021, included Marszalek saying that they had “succeeded in overthrowing” the former chancellor by confiscating the mobile phone of Thomas Schmid, one of his closest aides and a former official in the Austrian Ministry of Finance, which contained correspondence that later became important evidence in corruption investigations.
The Austrian authorities confiscated Schmid's phone in November 2019, and recovered thousands of messages and conversations from it, which contributed to opening investigations into political appointments, government advertisements, and the exploitation of taxpayer funds to promote opinion polls and media coverage supportive of the Austrian People's Party.
In October 2021, the Austrian prosecution carried out inspections that included the headquarters of the Chancellery, the Ministry of Finance, and the headquarters of the Austrian People's Party, amid accusations of misuse of public money. After mounting pressure, Kurz announced his resignation on October 9 of the same year.
In a later letter to Rousseff, Marszalek indicated that the rest of the conversations extracted from the phone “destroyed the advisor,” according to what the British newspaper reported.
Kurz refused to comment on the report, while sources close to him said that he had always believed that the accusations against him were politically motivated, and that he was shocked to learn of their possible connection to Russia.
According to the report, if Marsalek's allegations are proven true, they will be clear evidence of the Russian state's direct interference in the political leadership of a European Union member state.
One of the most wanted people in the world
Marsalek is considered one of the most wanted people in the world, and has been on the run since June 2020, when his company - the German technology giant “Wirecard” - collapsed, leaving a financial deficit of 1.6 billion pounds sterling in its account books.
Since his disappearance, it has emerged that he has been working for the Kremlin for more than a decade.
British police seized hundreds of thousands of letters and documents during a raid on Rousseff's home in the British city of Great Yarmouth in February 2023, and investigations revealed a spy network operating under Marsalek's direction, targeting opponents of the Kremlin and investigative journalists.
The network members were convicted in Britain, and Rousseff, who authorities described as the group's leader and receiving his instructions directly from Marsalek, was sentenced to 10 years and eight months in prison.
Previous investigations also revealed that three mobile phones belonging to senior officials in the Austrian Ministry of the Interior arrived to people linked to Marsalek, before they were transported to Russia via Istanbul in 2022, without proving a link between this incident and the phone that was confiscated from Kurz’s assistant.
Commenting on the investigation, Ian Duncan Smith, former leader of the British Conservative Party, said that what the newspaper revealed highlights the extent of Russia’s increasing “audacity,” adding: “They don’t even care whether people believe they are doing this.” “They think we are too weak to deal with the matter, that we cannot respond, so they move completely freely.”
For his part, Graeme Downey, a representative from the Labor Party and a member of the Defense Committee of the British Parliament, described the Telegraph report as “worrying,” noting that the strategic goal of Russian President Vladimir Putin is “to create a fundamental division between democratic countries.”
Robert Clark, a researcher at the Yorktown Institute specializing in national security, said that Russia has become more willing to use espionage, coercion, and sabotage to create divisions within Europe and weaken its governments and institutions.
In turn, Ed Arnold, a senior research associate at the Royal United Services Institute, said that Russian intelligence services “like to create chaos and unrest,” explaining that even when they do not cause it, they exploit it and work to deepen political differences and divisions.
But he pointed out the possibility that Marsalek exaggerated his role in bringing down Kurz, seeking to strengthen his position within the intelligence world, adding: “If you want to make a name for yourself in this world as someone who is able to arrange things, you need achievements that give you status.”
On the other hand, a spokesman for the Austrian Ministry of the Interior confirmed that they could not comment on the ongoing investigations into the Marsalek network.
He stated in a statement to the Telegraph newspaper that “the Austrian Criminal Intelligence Service does not provide information or comments about ongoing investigations or procedures, nor does it reveal information related to specific individuals.”
