US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in France for the first in-person gathering of G7 foreign ministers since President Donald Trump publicly pressed allies to take a stronger stance on Iran. The meeting comes as ministers confront the wars in Ukraine and Iran, strains on global energy flows, and growing unease in Europe over Washington’s foreign-policy direction.
Rubio used the trip to underscore long-running US frustration over burden-sharing, pointing to the scale of American support for Kyiv. “Ukraine is not America’s war, and yet we’ve contributed more to that fight than any other country,” Rubio said, adding that US policy ultimately answers to domestic priorities. “I work for the people of the United States,” he said.
His remarks landed as European officials prepared to press Washington over reported Russian support for Iran during the conflict. European powers planned to raise allegations that Moscow had helped Tehran with satellite imagery and drone upgrades. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are “very much interlinked.” Kallas argued that Russia was helping Iran “with intelligence to target Americans, to kill Americans,” and that if Washington wanted Iran’s attacks to stop, it should increase pressure on Moscow.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also said cooperation between Russia and Iran “has existed and continues to exist,” while Russia denied sharing intelligence with Iran on US military assets in the Middle East.
While Washington appeared to play down the accusations by saying Russia was primarily focused on its own war, European diplomats signaled they intended to confront the issue directly in France.
Back in Washington, Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska sent a bipartisan March 21 letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding answers about general licenses that temporarily waived some sanctions on transactions involving Russian oil. The lawmakers warned that easing pressure on Moscow “risks fueling Russia’s aggression and undermining progress we have made to reduce Russia’s global energy leverage.” They added: “At a time when Russian forces are already on the back foot from Ukraine’s recent territorial gains, and as Russia assists Iran in seeking to kill American servicemembers in the Middle East, it is a grave and indefensible mistake to throw Russia an oil revenue lifeline.”
The letter requested written responses by March 28 and a congressional briefing by March 31.