U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks at notes during the the G7 foreign ministers summit at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris on November 9, 2026. (AFP Photo)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Republican losses in the midterm elections will not affect the Trump administration’s approach to foreign policy, with clear differences on global crises emerging among top diplomats from Group of 7 allies who gathered in Paris.
Rubio, who spoke to reporters on Nov. 9 night after talks with his counterparts from the G7 industrialized democracies, said President Donald Trump will decide U.S. policies as he sees fit, regardless of his Republican Party’s wipeout in the midterms. He said Trump is intent on ending conflicts with Iran and between Russia and Ukraine but that the United States will maintain an “America First” approach on the world stage.
“Congress has a role to play in our foreign policy, particularly on what it funds and in its oversight function, but the No. 1 factor in determining foreign policy has always been and will remain the president,” Rubio said.
The Paris meeting is Rubio’s first overseas trip since Democrats seized control of Congress, partly because of deeply unpopular administration policies such as the Iran war. Allies have raised questions this week about whether the Trump administration would shift its positions.
There’s uncertainty about a consensus, even among allies.
Whether on the Russia-Ukraine war, Iran or the International Criminal Court, the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan appeared far apart as two days of talks got underway, although all agreed on the need to end the conflicts as quickly as possible.
Rubio said the U.S. would not back down on its opposition to the international war crimes court, which the other G7 members belong to but the Trump administration wants to dismantle.
On the Russia-Ukraine war, Rubio declined to offer a prediction about the prospects for talks that began on Nov. 10 in Abu Dhabi between Russia, Ukraine and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. But he said the Trump administration would keep trying to mediate a deal.
“Your chances of success are zero if you’re not trying, so we’re going to continue to try,” he said.
Although Rubio said the U.S. political situation was not raised in the meetings, several of his colleagues made clear that it was a question that needs to be addressed.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, whose country has faced withering criticism and insults from Trump, said how Washington will proceed is an open question.
“In terms of the U.S. and its approach, I will say that the president has executive powers,” she told reporters in Paris. “The House and the Senate have changed leadership, so it’s very much a question of what the approach will be.”
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Europe also wanted to see how the midterms would affect U.S. policy.
“The midterm elections showed the will of American people and the elections always bring results also in terms of policy changes,” she told reporters. “We are willing to work with whatever Congress or Senate or administration there is to really focus on the issues that we do together and focus on the issues where we can have maximum impact together.”
