Trump Signals Focus on Ukraine at G7 in Evian-Les-Bains After Russia Drone and Missile Attack

At the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a renewed focus on the war in Ukraine after leaders moved Tuesday to put it back on top of their agenda more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

“Les dirigeants participant au sommet du Groupe des Sept (G7), qui réunit les principales nations industrialisées, ont un programme chargé pour leur première journée complète, mardi, avec notamment des discussions difficiles sur la fin de la guerre menée par la Russie en Ukraine et la crise au Moyen-Orient”

Africanews

Trump said he would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for further talks about ending the Russia Ukraine war, telling reporters in Evian, the French spa town close to the Swiss border that is hosting the summit, “Soon we’ll be able to do that because the oil is now flowing.”

Al Jazeera

Hours before the summit began Monday, Russia fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine’s biggest cities in a barrage that killed 11 people and set fire to a religious landmark.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined G7 leaders for talks on the war in his country, and the BBC reported the talks wrapped quickly after just 75 minutes.

Zelenskyy said, “The entire ‘Seven’ supports Ukraine unanimously today,” as he added that G7 leaders supported Ukraine’s need for more Patriot missiles and discussed how to increase production by licensing production.

G7 allies worked to push the war in Ukraine back up President Donald Trump’s agenda after the Iran conflict overshadowed it in recent weeks, with Host President Emmanuel Macron saying he’ll seek to persuade Trump to continue supporting Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to help reach a peace agreement.

NPR reported that Zelenskyy joined G7 leaders for a morning working session that wrapped quickly, as leaders gathered for just 75 minutes, according to the French G7 presidency.

Anadolu Ajansı

Trump downplayed the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on the U.S. while lamenting the death toll, saying, “The whole thing is ridiculous,” and adding, “So, yeah, I’m going to do whatever I can.”

France and its European allies were described by NPR as the biggest providers of military and financial support to Kyiv as the U.S. under Trump cut back aid to Ukraine.

In Evian, Macron’s push to keep Trump engaged was framed by RFI as a challenge of keeping his U.S. counterpart engaged on Russia while managing his unpredictable approach to allies.

Beyond the summit’s immediate diplomacy, the AP reported that the U.K. announced new sanctions targeting the “ shadow fleet ” Russia uses to ship oil and gas and the finance networks used by Moscow to evade Western sanctions, including ships recently purchased to transport liquefied natural gas from its sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project.

“World leaders gather in France for G7 summit amid US-Iran diplomatic breakthrough US-Iran negotiations, Ukraine, and AI set to dominate discussions Aysu Bicer 15 June 2026•Update: 15 June 2026 LONDON World leaders are arriving in Evian, France, for a three-day Group of Seven summit taking place against the backdrop of a significant diplomatic development in the Middle East, after the US and Iran agreed to a framework deal opening a 60-day window for negotiations”

Anadolu Ajansı

The AP also said Ukraine on Monday officially started European Union membership negotiations, launching a process requiring years of political reforms even as it fights the Russian invasion, with Ukraine seeing EU membership as a security guarantee for a stable future once the war ends.

NPR added that Ukraine sees EU membership as a security guarantee, while noting that its best guarantee would be membership in the NATO military alliance even as the Trump administration insists that cannot happen and others are wary of Ukraine joining while the war continues.

Trump told reporters he wants to focus on Ukraine now, saying Iran will soon be “back in the rearview mirror,” and he said he would meet Zelenskyy again later on the day.

In parallel, RFI reported that Zelensky on Monday urged a “decisive and substantive” response from G7 leaders after the latest wave of Russian strikes killed at least 11 people and sparked a fire at a landmark Kyiv cathedral.