G7 leaders welcome Trump ‘change’ on Ukraine

G7 leaders hailed on Wednesday a newfound unity on increasing pressure on Russia to end its war in Ukraine, sensing a shift by US President Donald Trump to take a tougher line against Moscow.

The three-day meeting in the French town of Evian focused intensely on Trump’s deal to end the war with Iran and efforts to pressure Russia into brokering peace with Ukraine through ramped-up sanctions.

There was a major breakthrough on the Middle East, with Trump signing a memorandum of understanding that is meant to bring the months-long conflict with Tehran to a close.

The leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States also agreed on a final statement that included references to the Ukraine war, in a contrast to last year’s meeting, when Trump walked out early.

“It was tough work but worth it,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, describing the statement as a “success”.

As well as increasing supplies of air defence equipment to Ukraine, the leaders agreed to “increase the pressure on the Russian war economy” by strengthening sanctions, including on Moscow’s fossil fuel revenues, the statement said.

French President Emmanuel Macron hailed a “very deep change in the US approach” towards Ukraine, saying Trump had understood that Russia’s Vladimir Putin was not interested in peace.

“President Trump, like all of us, simply acknowledged that there was no serious willingness on Russia’s part today to discuss peace.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that on Ukraine there was “a lot of convergence, which is not always obvious” and there was “no friction or divergence”.

Throughout the summit, which was attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump took a harder line against Moscow, saying Russia had to seek a deal and showing impatience over the casualty toll on both sides.

G7 leaders also agreed to grant licences for Ukraine-based companies to produce long-range missiles and air defence systems, a diplomatic source said.

In his final news conference, Trump hailed his talks with Zelensky in Evian and a recent phone conversation with Putin.

“They both want to do something, they just don’t know how to do it,” he commented.

AI talks

At a lunch on Wednesday the digital sphere took centre stage, with some European G7 members pushing for more security to protect minors in a fast-changing world, moves that have irked the United States.

Sam Altman, head of artificial intelligence giant OpenAI; Anthropic chief Dario Amodei; the founder of Google’s AI lab DeepMind, Demis Hassabis; and Arthur Mensch, of their European rival Mistral AI, all attended.

G7 leaders called on tech firms “to develop and apply technology and systems that ensure safe, secure and age-appropriate experiences”, according to a joint statement.

Macron called for “better regulation” of AI, warning of the risk of “non-cooperation between democracies”.

Altman warned the leaders “not to cede your responsibilities” over AI to the companies building it.

‘A lot of gold’

Trump was the centre of attention throughout his stay in the lakeside resort.

French officials were thrilled that the unpredictable US president stayed for the entire event and signed on to the G7 communique.

In an unusual gesture, Macron invited Trump to dinner at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris after the summit ended.

Macron and his wife Brigitte welcomed Trump to the lavish former royal residence on Wednesday evening, after Trump expressed excitement, saying Versailles had “a lot of gold, I want to check it out”.

Macron arranged a private tour for Trump that included the Hall of Mirrors, a gallery devoted to the American War of Independence and a concert in the Royal Chapel.

At the candlelit dinner in the sumptuous Lower Gallery, Trump put his signature to the memorandum of understanding meant to end the Middle East war, as Macron and other guests applauded, according to a video posted by a Trump aide.

The dinner was attended by around 30 guests, including luxury conglomerate LVMH chief Bernard Arnault and TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne.

Macron, under pressure to show he was not fawning over Trump, earlier said the evening was not a “gala” dinner.

Trump stayed for around three hours at the palace, where he also had a phone conversation involving Macron and Zelensky, according to French officials.

Trump emphasised that he was ready to resume military action if Tehran did not abide by its obligations.

“If they don’t behave, we’ll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head,” he said.

While Macron was formally chairing the summit, the US president made clear who he believed was in charge as he arrived for the third and final day.

“I’m the boss,” Trump said before taking his seat.