The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has thanked G7 leaders for “strong ideas on how to force Russia into peace” after a summit in France that was overshadowed by a private exchange with Emmanuel Macron about how to manage Donald Trump.
Zelenskyy, speaking on Tuesday after the G7-Ukraine session in Évian-les-Bains, said the priorities were clear: “More air defence missiles along with licences to produce them, winter support package, and cranking up pressure on Russia.” He added that the US was “ready to provide backstop across these lines of effort”.
“Zelenskyy thanks G7 for Ukraine support as Macron and Zelenskyy are caught on camera coordinating how to manage Trump.”
But the warm words masked the tension that has defined the summit. Upon his arrival, Zelenskyy was overheard on camera with Macron game-planning how to deal with the US president. Macron, greeting the Ukrainian leader with a hug, was picked up by a microphone asking: “Do you have a bilateral meeting with Trump?” Zelenskyy’s response was inaudible. Macron then urged him to stay longer in France, but Zelenskyy replied: “I need to go to Brussels on the 18th”, the date of a European Council summit on Ukraine’s accession.
The exchange, caught on camera at the Hôtel Royal, did not reveal any secrets, but it is another example of how European leaders coordinate their dealings with Trump. The US president arrived on Monday and was notably not greeted by Macron on the red carpet; instead, the Élysée’s head of protocol met him. The Élysée declined to comment, but a person close to the French president said Macron was in a bilateral with Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the time.
Trump, meanwhile, used the summit to issue stark warnings. He vowed that “all hell will rain down” on Iran if it develops a nuclear weapon, claiming his deal with Tehran – yet to be made public – means “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon”. He also asserted that “without me, there would be no Israel”, saying “no other president was willing to do what I did”.
His deal will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which he insisted would be “toll free”. The framework is not yet confirmed, but a 60-day ceasefire is expected. Sir Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, congratulated Trump on the deal as an “important breakthrough”.
Trump’s intervention on Ukraine, however, has worried European officials. After he struck a deal with Iran, some fear he could try to retake control of Ukraine peace talks, leaving allies sidelined. To keep him engaged, Macron has invited Trump to dinner at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday evening for a celebration of the United States’ 250th birthday.
Zelenskyy’s message was unequivocal: “Russia must come to learn that its war will never be normalised.”