: US secretary of state Marco Rubio will take part in discussions on support for Ukraine and efforts to stabilise the Middle East. (EPA Images pic)WASHINGTON: US secretary of state Marco Rubio will head to France next week for a gathering of G7 foreign ministers, the state department said Friday, as pressure mounts over wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.

This marks Rubio's first trip abroad since the Republican Party's sweeping losses in US midterm elections, dealing a sharp blow to President Donald Trump as Democrats won full control of Congress.

While the election's impact on US foreign policy remains to be seen, the G7 meeting on Monday and Tuesday will offer Washington's allies an early opportunity to gauge the Trump administration's thinking.