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MILWAUKEE: G20 trade ministers agree that it is \u201cnot acceptable\u201d for countries to target food supplies in conflicts, a French official told AFP on Thursday, adding that European leaders took aim at Russia on the issue at high-level talks.<\/p>\n
Trade officials from the Group of 20 major economies are gathered in Milwaukee for two days of intense meetings this week.<\/p>\n
The discussions come as US President Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs strain Washington\u2019s ties with partners, while China pushes back on accusations of excess industrial capacity, which critics say drives prices down unfairly.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, France\u2019s minister delegate for international trade, Nicolas Forissier, told AFP that countries have found common ground \u201con the fact that it\u2019s not acceptable to weaponize food and agriculture\u201d in conflicts.<\/p>\n
His comments on the sidelines of G20 talks come as Russian and Ukrainian strikes targeting Black Sea ports have been wrecking and idling agricultural export capacity more quickly than trade flows can recover.<\/p>\n
Moscow and Kyiv have been locked in war since Russia\u2019s 2022 invasion.<\/p>\n
Forissier told AFP that European officials including himself and German and British representatives to the G20 criticized Russia\u2019s attacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to say what we think, especially on the weaponization of food,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added that European leaders\u2019 comments against \u201cthe aggression of Russia in Ukraine\u201d on food exports merely constitute \u201cthe truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Forissier said this did not mean the ambience at G20 talks were bad: \u201cOn the contrary, I think the discussions are quite constructive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russia is represented at the gathering this week by minister for economic development Maxim Reshetnikov.<\/p>\n
The Russian minister on Wednesday criticized European leaders for speaking in political slogans, state-controlled network Russia Today reported.<\/p>\n
– Widening trade ties –<\/strong><\/p>\n Trade ministers from several G20 economies are also seeking to widen trade talks beyond their US host this week.<\/p>\n Canada for example is seeking bilateral trade deals with India, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and with the European Union on digital trade, Ottawa\u2019s minister for international trade Maninder Sidhu told reporters Thursday.<\/p>\n He said Canada and India look forward to concluding negotiations \u201cin the coming months.\u201d<\/p>\n Sidhu also met Trump\u2019s top trade official Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of G20 talks.<\/p>\n He told AFP that both sides discussed further Canada-US cooperation among other issues, but did not go into details.<\/p>\n While Sidhu is in Milwaukee, Greer\u2019s counterpart in US-Canada trade talks is Dominic LeBlanc, who handles trade ties between both countries.<\/p>\n Countries are also seeking cooperation with Washington to lower tariffs.<\/p>\n A Mexican official said Thursday that the country is making \u201csteady progress\u201d towards a US tariff deal.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would expect to have some reductions in steel and cars and aluminum,\u201d the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n Mexico is not looking to rush negotiations, the official said when asked if a deal would be struck before key US midterm elections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n