Trump and Zelensky Hold First Talks in Four Months at G7
Trump and Zelensky met at the G7 summit in France where European leaders urged the US president to maintain pressure on Russia and resist pushing Ukraine toward territorial concessions.
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met face-to-face for the first time in over four months at the G7 summit in eastern France, in talks that Kiev had pressed for amid stalled peace negotiations with Moscow.
The two leaders held a 30-minute meeting on June 16 in Évian-les-Bains, joined by French President Emmanuel Macron, according to Brussels Signal. The trio later participated in a broader G7 working session focused on Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
European G7 members used the summit to urge Trump to maintain pressure on Russia and resist pushing Kiev toward territorial concessions. France, which holds this year’s G7 presidency, announced the group had agreed to increase pressure on Moscow.
Zelensky confirmed that G7 partners had agreed to provide additional air defence support for Ukraine, with all members committing to strengthen the country’s protection capabilities. He had earlier called on the leaders to deliver a decisive response to Russia’s latest wave of strikes.
Trump acknowledged the meeting during a press conference alongside Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and indicated the two presidents would meet again later that day.
The Ukrainian leader revealed he had offered Russian President Vladimir Putin a meeting to end the war, but Moscow had refused. Zelensky stated that he had proposed Putin meet anywhere to make real decisions to end the conflict, but the Russian leader rejected the overture.
The meeting took place following Russian strikes on Kiev that killed 11 people and ignited a fire at the historic Dormition Cathedral within the Pechersk Lavra monastery complex.
Trump’s renewed focus on Ukraine came after he brokered a framework agreement with Iran designed to halt hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. That deal, ending a conflict launched February 28 by the US and Israel against Tehran, is scheduled to be signed in Switzerland on June 19.
The president emphasized that Russia must agree to end the fighting in Ukraine, citing the heavy casualties both sides continue to suffer each month.
The summit, running from June 15 to 17 in the spa town on Lake Geneva’s shores, has prioritized the Ukraine war and the Middle East crisis at the top of its agenda.
With information from Brussels Signal
