G7 leaders open summit talks on Ukraine and West Asia as Zelenskyy joins in France
Leaders at the Group of Seven summit of major industrialised nations face a packed agenda on their first full day on Tuesday (June 16, 2026)
Leaders at the Group of Seven summit of major industrialised nations face a packed agenda on their first full day on Tuesday (June 16, 2026), including challenging discussions on ending Russia's war in Ukraine and addressing the West Asia crisis. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be in attendance at the invitation of host France. The Ukraine talks come on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of an agreement to end the 3 1/2-month-old U.S. war against Iran. In recent weeks, the Iran conflict has overshadowed the war in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin launched more than four years ago. Trump said he had good conversations on Sunday with both Mr. Zelenskyy and Mr. Putin. “Now that this (Iran) is finished, we're going to be focusing on that,” he said, speaking during a bilateral meeting on Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron said he'll seek to persuade Mr. Trump to continue supporting Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to help reach a peace agreement. Hours before the start of the G7 summit, Russia fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine's biggest cities in a barrage that killed 11 people and set fire to a religious landmark. Tuesday's discussions in the French spa town of Evian-les-Bains also include a work session focused on “ending crises and ensuring stability in the Middle East.” Leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are to join the talks.
Trump has been frustrated by a lack of movement toward Ukraine-Russia resolution The attacks on Ukraine's biggest cities came after Mr. Zelenskyy and Mr. Putin spoke separately by phone with Mr. Trump on Sunday, the U.S. leader's 80th birthday. The exchange suggests Washington hasn't given up on its diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting that followed Moscow's all-out invasion of its neighbor in 2022. “The right negotiation is one in which Ukraine and Russia are at the table, but with Europeans and Americans present as well,” Mr. Macron said on French television. While campaigning for a return to the White House, Mr. Trump claimed he could end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office. He has since acknowledged it has proved much harder than he initially thought it would be. EU membership negotiations Ukraine on Monday officially started European Union membership negotiations, launching a process that will require its government to commit to years of political reforms even as it fights a Russian invasion. Ukraine sees EU membership as a security guarantee for a stable future once the war ends. Its best guarantee would be membership in the NATO military alliance, but the Trump administration insists that cannot happen, and others are wary of it joining while the war continues. Iran flashpoint between Trump and Europe In recent months, Mr. Trump has had sharp disagreements with Mr. Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over his failure to consult them before the decision to go to war in Iran.
The BriefWire