Rubio heads to Canada as Trump wages trade war [Video]

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio headed Wednesday to Canada on the highest-level visit by the administration of President Donald Trump, who has unleashed a trade war described by the United States’ neighbour as an existential challenge.

Rubio is attending Group of Seven talks of foreign ministers in Charlevoix, Quebec, where he plans to press the club of industrial democracies — unified in backing Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion — to support Trump’s approach of pushing both Moscow and Kyiv to make concessions.

Rubio was taking an unusually circuitous route, departing early Wednesday from the Saudi port city of Jeddah, where a day earlier he met top Ukrainian officials to discuss an initial ceasefire plan.

In most US administrations, presidents and senior officials make Canada a first destination and the visits attract little attention, with the friendly neighbours focusing on reaffirming their longstanding ties.

But since returning to power Trump …