G7 hails unity on Russia as Trump signals tougher line on Moscow
G7 leaders announced a unified stance against Russia, with US President Donald Trump taking a harder line toward Moscow. The summit reached agreements on additional sanctions and increased arms supplies to Ukraine.
The G7 summit in the French town of Evian concluded with a joint declaration in which leaders ramped up pressure on Russia to end its war in Ukraine. US President Donald Trump, who had previously shown an ambiguous stance, took a tougher line against Moscow this time.
The three-day meeting focused heavily on Trump's deal to end the war with Iran and efforts to push for peace in Ukraine through strengthened sanctions. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the declaration as a "success," while French President Emmanuel Macron noted a "very deep change" in the US approach to Ukraine, saying Trump realized that Russia's Vladimir Putin was not interested in peace.
Leaders agreed to increase pressure on the Russian war economy by tightening sanctions, including on Russia's fossil fuel revenues. They also decided to grant licenses for Ukrainian companies to produce long-range missiles and air defense systems. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the summit.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pointed to "a lot of convergence" on Ukraine, stressing there was no friction. Trump himself said that both Putin and Zelensky want to act but do not know how.
A lunch session focused on artificial intelligence (AI) regulation, attended by leaders of OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepMind, and Mistral AI. The G7 called on tech companies to ensure safe and age-appropriate experiences for minors. Macron called for "better regulation," while OpenAI chief Sam Altman warned leaders "not to cede your responsibilities" in AI.
After the summit, Trump visited the Palace of Versailles, where Macron arranged a private tour and dinner with about 30 guests, including LVMH and TotalEnergies CEOs. Trump signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the Middle East war and stressed he would resume military action if Iran did not comply. "I'm the boss," Trump said before the final day of the summit.
