G7 summit opens in Évian with Iran ceasefire deal, Ukraine war and transatlantic rift at centre of talks

A summit shaped by war and diplomacy

Leaders of the world's seven largest advanced economies begin talks on Monday at the Hotel Royal in Évian-les-Bains, on the shores of Lake Geneva. The three‑day meeting comes hours after US President Donald Trump announced a breakthrough agreement to end the three‑month war with Iran. "We have just reached a great agreement to resolve the conflict with Iran," Trump said, adding that formalisation is expected within days and a signing ceremony may take place in Europe.

We have just reached a great agreement to resolve the conflict with Iran. Formalisation is now pending, to be completed in the coming days, and there will likely be a signing, perhaps in Europe.

The deal, mediated with Pakistan's involvement, is set to dominate the summit's first day. French President Emmanuel Macron, the host, said the group will discuss concrete consequences, chief among them the long-term reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to ease pressure on global oil prices. A senior US official told Reuters there is already "a solid ceasefire agreement".

Ukraine and the transatlantic rift

The war in Ukraine will also command attention. President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to arrive on Tuesday for a dedicated session, with European allies expected to press Trump to re‑engage in negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. The gathering is the first G7 summit since the start of the Iran conflict and will test a transatlantic alliance strained by Trump's accusations that allies provided insufficient support during the war.

Trade friction with China is another flashpoint. France and Germany want to keep Trump focused on countering Beijing's rise, viewing stability in the Middle East as a precondition for that pivot. Macron has structured the summit without a planned joint communiqué (only a presidency statement and a few sectoral texts are foreseen) to reduce the risk of an early, acrimonious departure by Trump.

A delicate choreography around Trump

Macron has gone to lengths to keep the US president engaged. The summit was pushed back by a day to accommodate Trump's 80th birthday celebration on Sunday, which featured mixed martial arts bouts on the White House grounds. A gala dinner at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday is meant to anchor Trump through the end of the meeting, drawing on what the Élysée described as the "high value" of Franco‑American friendship.

Bilateral talks between Trump and Middle Eastern representatives are also scheduled, as are meetings with invited leaders including Narendra Modi of India, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, and Abdel Fattah al‑Sisi of Egypt. The European Union will be represented by Council President António Costa and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

AI and digital protection on the sidelines

On Wednesday, a lunch will bring together OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic chief Dario Amodei and Mistral AI's Arthur Mensch to discuss protecting minors in the digital sphere. The session underscores how technology governance has crept onto the G7 agenda alongside traditional geopolitical crises.

Protests and a locked‑down town

Roughly 15,000 demonstrators marched in Geneva on Sunday under banners against "fascism and imperialism", with a giant Trump puppet at the front. Clashes erupted near the UN headquarters, with police firing tear gas and water cannon after bottles, stones and fireworks were thrown. A Tesla was set on fire and several arrests were made.

Évian itself has been turned into a virtual fortress. More than 12,000 police officers and 900 soldiers have sealed off the town of 9,000 residents, with a security cordon that largely prevented protests from crossing into France. Swiss police complained about the displacement of the unrest onto their territory. The heavy deployment recalls the violent anti‑G8 protests that marred the 2003 summit in the same town.