Évian-les-Bains (TDI): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sat down with G7 leaders on Tuesday for talks to revive stalled peace negotiations with Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron broke the summit protocol to personally welcome Zelenskyy at a side gate of the Hôtel Royal, and the two took a brief walk together before the formal session began.
Macron was overheard telling Zelenskyy he would “arrange” a possible meeting with President Donald Trump, suggesting it could happen “tonight or tomorrow.”
Trump, appearing alongside Macron a day earlier, said the United States would shift its diplomatic focus back to Ukraine now that the Iran crisis had eased.
“Now that this is finished, we’re going to be focusing on that,” he said, adding he hoped to “get that one done.” The remark followed weekend phone calls in which Trump spoke separately with both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The summit’s morning session, titled “Peacebuilding and Security for Ukraine and Europe,” covered military support for Kyiv, sanctions on Moscow and ways to bring Russia back to the negotiating table.
Read More: Anti-G7 Protests in Geneva Turn Violent as Protestors and Police Clash
Zelenskyy has pressed for additional Patriot air-defense interceptors and renewed pressure on Russia, while reiterating an offer to meet Putin face-to-face on the sidelines of the summit.
Hours before leaders convened for the G7 summit, Russia launched a large missile and drone barrage on Ukrainian cities that killed civilians, while Ukraine struck an oil refinery near Moscow and an oil depot in Russia’s Krasnodar region overnight, according to Zelenskyy.
A transatlantic rift over sanctions also loomed over the gathering as the European Union unveiled a 21st sanctions package targeting Russian banks, crypto firms and fisheries, alongside a proposal to bar Russian soldiers who fought in Ukraine from the Schengen area.
The Trump administration, by contrast, has issued repeated waivers on Russian oil purchases to ease pressure on global energy markets following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Later Tuesday, leaders are due to hold a separate working lunch on Middle East stability with the leaders of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, following the announcement of a US-Iran framework deal that opens a 60-day window toward a fuller agreement, expected to be formally signed in Switzerland on Friday.
Zelenskyy is expected to remain in Évian through Wednesday before traveling to Brussels for a European Council summit on June 18.
