EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined world leaders at the Group of Seven summit of major industrialized nations Tuesday for talks on ending the war in Ukraine after more than four years of conflict sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Zelenskyy was welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of a morning working session with G7 leaders to discuss the war.
The Ukraine talks come on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of an agreement to end the 3 1/2-month-old U.S. war against Iran. Trump said he had good conversations on Sunday with both Zelenskyy and Putin.
“Now that this (Iran) is finished, we’re going to be focusing on that,” he said at the G7 summit.
Five of the seven leaders, representing Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy and Japan, were huddled in conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before the start of the first session on Ukraine. Trump was missing. Macron, too, hadn’t arrived yet because he was with Zelenskyy.
In recent weeks, the Iran conflict has overshadowed the war in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin launched. Macron said he’ll seek to persuade Trump to continue supporting Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to help reach a peace agreement.
Hours before the start of the G7 summit, 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.
Trump has been frustrated by a lack of movement toward Ukraine-Russia resolution
The attacks on Ukraine’s biggest cities came after Zelenskyy and Putin spoke separately by phone with Trump on Sunday, the U.S. leader’s 80th birthday. The exchange suggests Washington hasn’t given up on its diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting that followed Moscow’s all-out invasion of its neighbor in 2022.
While campaigning for a return to the White House, Trump claimed he could end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office. He has since acknowledged it has proved much harder than he initially thought it would be.
Ukraine on Monday officially started European Union membership negotiations, launching a process that will require its government to commit to years of political reforms even as it fights a Russian invasion.
Ukraine sees EU membership as a security guarantee for a stable future once the war ends. Its best guarantee would be membership in the NATO military alliance, but the Trump administration insists that cannot happen, and others are wary of it joining while the war continues.
Iran war has been a flashpoint between Trump and European leaders
Tuesday’s discussions also include a work session focused on “ending crises and ensuring stability in the Middle East.” Leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are to join the talks.