G7 Summit on Ukraine: Expectations for a Breakthrough from World Leaders
Within the framework of the Summit in France, leaders will have an important discussion at the G7 Summit on Ukraine, with the participation of President Volodymyr Zelensky, raising hopes for a solution to end more than four years of conflict.
According to AFP on June 16, the G7 group of world powers is expected to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 16 (Paris time). US President Donald Trump stated, "Maybe we can do something," after more than four years of protracted conflict.
According to the agenda, in the morning, President Zelensky will attend a special session on the Ukraine issue in the resort town of Evian (France). Following that, another session on the Iran issue, with the participation of Arab leaders, will take place later in the day.
European leaders, under the chairmanship of French President Emmanuel Macron, are working to urge US leader Donald Trump on the importance of encouraging Russia to accept peace on Kyiv's terms. Europe emphasizes that pressure should not be exerted on Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Moscow.
Ahead of the meeting, on June 15, President Zelensky called on G7 leaders to deliver a "decisive and substantive" response. The Ukrainian leader also revealed that he had proposed a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G7 summit.
Nevertheless, US President Donald Trump, who had separate phone calls with both Zelensky and Putin, still expressed optimism heading into the summit on June 15. He suggested that the G7 could make new progress on the Ukraine issue.
"Both sides are open to this. I had two very good talks yesterday," the US President said, but did not reveal further details.
Speaking ahead of the G7 summit's plenary session on Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that London would supply enriched uranium to Ukraine's nuclear power plants and impose new sanctions on Russia.
The UK Prime Minister's office quoted Starmer as condemning the Russian attacks, while affirming that Britain is stepping up action to "cut off the funding for Putin's military campaign and secure energy supplies for Ukraine in the coming winters."
Besides focusing on Ukraine, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the Emir of Qatar, and the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will also be present to attend the special session on Iran later on June 16.
Allied countries are expressing great concern and want to question President Trump about his agreement with Iran to end the war in the Middle East. Previously, the US President announced that this agreement meant the Strait of Hormuz would be fully reopened on June 19th.
However, Trump appeared rather indifferent to the proposal to establish a joint military mission between Britain and France to ensure freedom of navigation in this strategic strait. He asserted that the US military did not need "too much help."
This three-day G7 summit saw the presence of numerous world leaders. Host nation France is hoping to expand the G7's influence beyond its traditional member bloc (comprising the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US) by inviting emerging powers such as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
