G7 leaders press Trump to refocus on Ukraine after Iran deal

Donald Trump’s claim that the war in Ukraine had little impact on the United States exposed a sharp fracture with G7 allies who were trying to keep Kyiv at the center of the summit. At Evian-les-Bains, France, Emmanuel Macron and other leaders pressed Trump back toward Ukraine just after his preliminary deal with Iran had shifted attention elsewhere.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined a G7 working session that lasted about 75 minutes, according to the French G7 presidency, and Trump said he would meet the Ukrainian president one-on-one. He also said he would speak separately with Zelenskyy and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines, while repeating that “Russia should make a deal,” calling the war “ridiculous” and saying he would do “whatever I can.” At the same time, Trump said the conflict had little impact on the United States and said Iran would soon be “back in the rearview mirror.”

That message clashed with the direction of the summit. A French diplomat said G7 leaders agreed to increase pressure on Russia, including sanctions targeting its oil and natural gas sectors and more air defense support for Ukraine. The Government of the United Kingdom separately announced new sanctions on Russia’s “shadow fleet” and the finance networks used to evade Western sanctions, a sign that London and other allies were prepared to tighten enforcement even as Washington’s rhetoric drifted.

The stakes were sharpened by events on the ground. Before the summit, Russia fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine, killing 11 people and setting fire to a religious landmark in Kyiv. The attack underscored how the war, now in its fourth year since Russia’s full-scale invasion, continues to test the cohesion of the coalition backing Ukraine.

Trump’s line in Evian-les-Bains also recalled his 2024 campaign promise that he could end the war within 24 hours of taking office. Instead, the summit showed a more complicated reality: G7 leaders still need Washington for sanctions unity, military aid coordination and the credibility that comes with a common front against Moscow.