G7 Invites Qatar and UAE to 2026 Summit as Allies Seek Strategic Independence

The Group of Seven will expand its 2026 summit at Évian, France, to include Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as strategic partners, a move framed around energy security and a broader effort by Western allies to reduce their dependence on the United States. The invitation, reported amid questions over Washington's reliability under President Donald Trump, marks a rare widening of the bloc's guest list toward the Gulf and reflects a recalibration of how the G7's members — France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada and the United States — manage energy supply and diplomatic risk.

For the host, France, the inclusion of Doha and Abu Dhabi signals an intent to lock in non-American sources of liquefied natural gas and capital as European governments continue to diversify away from both Russian and US leverage. Qatar is one of the world's largest LNG exporters and a key supplier to European markets, while the UAE has expanded its role as an energy and investment partner across the continent.

The summit's expanded format underlines Qatar's growing position as an interlocutor between Western governments and the wider region — a role Doha has cultivated through energy exports, mediation and sovereign investment. For Gulf states, a seat at the G7 table, even as guests, offers recognition of their weight in global energy markets and a platform to press their own strategic priorities as the post-American order takes shape.