Why emergency G7 meetings are not working

Another Monday, another emergency meeting.

This time it’s between G7 finance ministers, energy ministers and central bank governors, once again hosted by France, but as a virtual session. It marks the fourth time since the start of the war in Iran that the G7 has convened at a ministerial level.

The meeting fatigue is palpable.

The first virtual session of finance ministers and central bank governors on March 9 resulted in a communiqué that promised to “closely monitor the situation and developments in energy markets and… to exchange information and co-ordinate.” The criticism over the inaction was swift.

The following day, energy ministers also met virtually to take joint action on energy stockpiles alongside the IEA to try and ease the crunch. In the short term is was effective, but was also met with skepticism over the long-term impact.

Since that date, energy markets have swung wildly, including some of the biggest one-day moves for oil since the war in Ukraine broke out in 2022, and volatility has spiked.

Last week, foreign ministers met in the beautiful setting of the Vaux de Cernay Abbey, where they voiced their concerns over the longevity of the war in Iran, but gave few direct actions.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas said: “We need an exit, not an escalation in this war. And that means there has to be a diplomatic solution so that this region will come out of it stronger and actually more peaceful. Therefore it can only be a diplomatic solution, sit down and negotiate to have a way out.”

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadepul complained, “it is not a lack of weapons, but a lack of communication” that is complicating coordinated efforts on Iran. He told Deutschlandfunk that there are preparations for the U.S. and Iran to meet directly in Pakistan “very soon.”

Iran war is a ‘catastrophe,’ G7 ministers warn — but there’s little they can do to stop it

The upcoming G7 leaders’ summit in June is also not without controversy. The French government has invited the leaders of India, South Korea, Brazil and Kenya to join the summit in Evian on June 15-17. This has caused upset with South Africa, which has been a regular guest representing the African continent at the G7 level.

French officials have said the lack of invitation is not due to pressure from the U.S., but South Africa believes the Trump administration had threatened to boycott the meeting if Cyril Ramaphosa attended. China is also not expected to attend the summit.

So why are these meetings between the G7 yielding so few actionable outcomes?

The easy answer is to blame President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ approach for damaging multilateral relations between the U.S….