US President Donald Trump stated during his meeting with Russian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Russia should make peace with Ukraine. This comment sparked cautious optimism among G7 leaders about the potential for a peace deal.
The mood at this week’s G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains was upbeat, contrasting sharply with last year’s Oval Office meeting where Trump told Zelenskiy he had no leverage in peace talks with Russia.
Trump arrived at the summit carrying a preliminary deal to end his war with Iran and said he would do whatever he could to end the conflict in Ukraine. However, there were few details on concrete steps to increase pressure on Moscow.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed optimism that Trump’s statement was encouraging for Europeans and Americans working together to end the war.
Zelenskiy told Reuters that G7 leaders agreed Russia was not winning the war. They also discussed additional sanctions targeting Russia’s oil exports, banking sector, and military production to bring Moscow to the negotiating table.