G7 Summit Focuses on Ukraine and Iran, Trump Turns More Positive on Ukraine
European Union and Group of Seven (G7) leaders unanimously pledged on Wednesday to support Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia. US President Trump said at the meeting: “I’m the boss.”
The remarks came during the G7 summit held in Évian-les-Bains, France, from June 15 to 17, following a joint statement that could further strengthen Ukraine’s leverage in potential peace talks with Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his allies went there to try to persuade Trump that Ukraine’s counteroffensive is making progress and that Russia cannot dictate terms in any peace deal.
The joint statement and leaders’ remarks showed that after years of skepticism, Trump has begun to align more closely with Zelensky’s argument. French President Emmanuel Macron said this reflected a “real shift” in the US stance on Ukraine and called the summit a “success.” By contrast, last year’s G7 summit in Canada failed to form a common position on Ukraine.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the leaders and Trump “found common ground, which is not always a given.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also praised the US and Trump, saying their “position has shifted.”
Last year Trump left the G7 summit a day early because of Middle East tensions, but this time he attended the full event and was due later that evening to go to the Palace of Versailles for a dinner. At the summit, the leaders issued joint statements on Ukraine, artificial intelligence and critical minerals, prompting clear relief among participants.
Still, any prospect of forcing Moscow into peace talks continues to depend on Trump’s commitments, which are often hard to pin down.
“I’m the boss,” Trump told leaders and reporters as he took his seat at the global economic security meeting.
Trump’s Iran Deal Sets the Tone for Talks
G7 leaders also welcomed a preliminary peace deal between the US and Iran and said they were willing to help implement it, though Trump made no specific commitments about what role each party might play.
European allies worry that an inexperienced US negotiating team may fail to secure a solid nuclear deal in the next phase and may also be unable to address Iran’s ballistic missile program, prolonging the confrontation.
At the same time, Trump stressed that the memorandum of understanding with Iran is not a final deal and that the US could resume bombing if Tehran fails to keep its promises.
“If I don’t like it, if they’re not honest, we’ll resume bombing immediately and drop bombs right on their heads,” he said.
Although European allies publicly backed the preliminary deal, diplomats warned that reaching a lasting agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile program and support for proxy forces in the Middle East would be far from easy.
