Trump's Tone Warms at G7 Summit: Sends New Signals on Ukraine and Iran
EU and G7 leaders pledged support for Ukraine and imposed new sanctions on Russia on Wednesday. President Trump said "I'm the boss" at the summit, drawing attention.
The remark came during the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, held June 15-17, following a joint statement that could strengthen Ukraine's hand in potential peace negotiations with Russia.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and his allies aimed to convince Trump that Ukraine's counteroffensive is working and that Russia cannot dictate terms in any peace deal.
The joint statement and leaders' remarks suggest that after years of skepticism, Trump is increasingly aligning with Zelenskyy's arguments. French President Macron said this shows a "real change in attitude" by the US on Ukraine and called the summit a "success." In contrast, last year's G7 in Canada failed to reach a common position on Ukraine.
Italian Prime Minister Meloni said leaders found "common ground with Trump, which was not always a given." Canadian PM Carney praised the US and Trump for a "shift in position."
Last year, Trump left the G7 a day early over the Middle East situation. This time, he attended the full summit and was headed to the Château de Versailles for a dinner later. Leaders were visibly relieved that the summit produced joint statements on Ukraine, AI, and critical minerals.
However, any prospect of forcing Moscow into peace talks still depends on Trump's commitments, which can be unpredictable.
"I'm the boss," Trump said to leaders and reporters as he sat down at the global economic security meeting.
Trump's Iran Deal Sets Tone for Talks
G7 leaders also welcomed the preliminary peace agreement between the US and Iran and expressed willingness to help implement it, but Trump made no specific commitments on what role others might play.
European allies worry that the inexperienced US negotiating team may fail to secure a solid nuclear deal or address Iran's ballistic missile program in the next phase, potentially prolonging the standoff.
Meanwhile, Trump emphasized that the memorandum of understanding with Iran is not a final deal and that the US could resume bombing if Iran fails to meet commitments.
"If I don't like it, if they're not honest, we'll immediately resume bombing and drop bombs directly on their heads," he said.
Despite public support from European allies for the preliminary deal, diplomats warned that reaching a lasting agreement on Iran's nuclear program, ballistic missile program, and its support for proxy forces in the Middle East will be extremely difficult.
