G7 summit opens in Évian with US-Iran preliminary deal and Ukraine war at centre of three-day agenda
Leaders of the G7 industrial democracies begin a summit in Évian-les-Bains on Monday, hours after Washington and Tehran announced a preliminary agreement to end the war. The deal, together with the conflict in Ukraine and economic security, will shape the talks through Wednesday.
A summit under the shadow of two wars
The Group of Seven meets in the French spa town of Évian-les-Bains from 15 to 17 June, with the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada around the table. The gathering comes barely a day after the US and Iran announced a preliminary accord aimed at halting hostilities, and the breakthrough will be one of the dominant themes of the summit. A first exchange among leaders is scheduled for Monday evening’s working dinner.
European officials are privately relieved that Donald Trump will attend. The US president walked out early from last year’s G7 in Canada, and many allies approach his latest trip with caution after a year of unpredictable moves on trade, the Middle East and diplomacy.
- Approximately 7,000 protesters march in Geneva against G7 policies.
- G7 leaders hold a working dinner, first discussion of the agenda.
- Session on Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- Lunch with leaders of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Egypt; focus on the Iran war and energy infrastructure.
- US-Iran memorandum of understanding scheduled to be signed in Switzerland.
The Iran file takes centre stage
The memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran is due to be signed formally in Switzerland on Friday, but the precise terms have not yet been disclosed. G7 partners will press Trump for details at the Tuesday lunch, to which the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt have been invited. The US president launched the war last February without consulting his allies and has continued it despite their opposition, leaving European capitals eager to hear how he intends to close the conflict.
For Europeans, the most immediate priority is reopening navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Paris is floating the idea of an international naval force that would allow US-Iran consultations to proceed without jeopardising global economic stability.
This stability is extremely vulnerable at the current juncture.
Ukraine seeks renewed backing
Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join the leaders on Tuesday morning. The Ukrainian president arrives in a stronger negotiating position than a year ago, when Trump told him in the Oval Office that he “doesn’t have the cards.” Still, he may struggle to extract fresh American commitments, as Trump’s domestic standing has been dented by the Iran crisis and his priority is a definitive settlement of that war.
European governments hope Washington will at least continue to voice support for Kyiv and perhaps contribute modestly to aid, since the financial burden of assistance has fallen entirely on Europe for some time. Zelenskyy himself is counting on a letter he sent to Vladimir Putin to persuade Trump to drop demands that Ukraine cede the Donbas to Russia.
Beyond the battlefields
Economic imbalances and the quest for critical minerals from sources other than China also feature on the agenda. China, though absent from the table, looms over the talks on supply-chain resilience. Diana Panke, a professor of political science at the Freie Universität Berlin, argued the format remains valid: “The G7 was founded as an informal meeting of the important industrial countries with a liberal-democratic orientation. China does not belong there.”
Ahead of the summit, roughly 7,000 demonstrators marched in Geneva on Sunday to protest against G7 policies on migration, climate and wealth inequality. Security in Évian is at its highest level, recalling the violence that accompanied the 2003 G8 summit in the same town.
