Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky were overheard discussing Donald Trump while walking the grounds of the Hotel Royal during the G7 summit in France. Macron mentioned a tough discussion with Trump on Ukraine during a public meeting the day before.
During their brief encounter, Macron encouraged Zelensky to extend his stay at the summit, but Zelensky mentioned his upcoming meeting with EU leaders in Brussels. The two leaders briefly discussed the possibility of organizing a meeting, with Macron offering to arrange it.
Following their talks, Zelensky emphasized Ukraine’s commitment to peace and highlighted the unanimous support from the G7 leaders. Discussions included the need for more Patriot missiles to defend against Russian threats.
G7 leaders, including Trump, agreed to escalate pressure on Russia through targeted sanctions on its oil and gas sectors. Since the reduction in US aid to Ukraine, European allies like France have stepped up to provide significant military and financial support.
Apart from addressing the conflict in Ukraine, G7 leaders tackled challenging discussions on the Middle East crisis during the summit. A signing ceremony for a US-Iran deal is scheduled at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland, aiming to extend a fragile ceasefire and open the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite progress, obstacles remain in ending conflicts, including Israel’s military actions in Lebanon, resulting in a significant death toll. The situation continues to pose challenges to achieving lasting peace in the region.