G7 leaders open summit talks in France on Ukraine and the Middle East

Emmanuel Macron, President of France, left, greets U.S. President Donald Trump during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP hide caption

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — Leaders at the Group of Seven summit of major industrialized nations face a packed agenda on their first full day Tuesday, including challenging discussions on ending Russia's war in Ukraine and addressing the Middle East crisis. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be in attendance at the invitation of host France.

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. In recent weeks, the Iran conflict has overshadowed the war in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin launched more than four years ago.

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, speaking during a bilateral meeting Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron.

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.

Tuesday's discussions in the French spa town of Evian-les-Bains 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.

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.

"The right negotiation is one in which Ukraine and Russia are at the table, but with Europeans and Americans present as well," Macron said on French television.