Europe Holds Aloft Ukraine Card As Trump Heads To France For G7 Conclave
US President Donald Trump will hold meetings with Middle Eastern leaders in the G7 conclave in France this week, but will not hold a one-to-one meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump is scheduled to travel to Evian, France, for the G7 summit on Monday.
The G7 meet also assumes significance as it comes after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the British forces have intercepted a Russian “shadow fleet” oil tanker in the English Channel on Sunday.
Starmer has said the development is a setback for Moscow’s efforts to sustain its war in Ukraine. European leaders are reportedly miffed with US efforts to deal with the Ukraine conflict without taking NATO allies into confidence.
In the early hours of this morning, I directed our Armed Forces to intercept a shadow fleet oil tanker attempting to pass through the English Channel.
This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not…
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 14, 2026
Trump is expected to interact with European leaders with whom he has sparred over a host of issues ranging from trade, tariffs, Ukraine and NATO since his second term began in 2025.
Though he will participate in a working session on Tuesday with Zelenskyy and G7 leaders, a bilateral meeting with the Ukraine leader is not scheduled, The Independent reported.
The G7 meeting assumes significance as earlier advances made by Russian forces have met with stiff resistance or even slowed. Kiev is also seeking more military funding from its allies.
An unnamed US official told reporters that the US believes Russian gains have “more or less stopped.”
The US seeks an early end to the war, he reportedly said.
European diplomats are counting on the G7 summit as a platform to convince Trump that US proposals for a deal to end the Ukraine conflict tend to favor Moscow, Reuters reported.
European nations also would like to convey to the US that they believe Russia, not Kyiv, is blocking progress. Trump has repeatedly hinted that Ukraine is playing spoil sport on a probable deal.
The US President’s scheduled departure for theG7 summit in France is cited in media reports as a reason for Middle East negotiators pushing for a virtual signing of a reported peace deal.
Vice President J D Vance may not be able to be back in the US by the time Trump leaves if the former travels to sign a pact, Axios reported.
Trump’s meeting with leaders of Egypt, Qatar, United Arab Emirates is linked to the Middle East’s future trajectory as an end to the conflict is on the horizon. The US President will likely discuss opportunities arising in the Middle East with these leaders in the event of a peace deal with Iran taking shape.
Iranian officials have categorically denied assertions from US President Donald Trump regarding the finalization of a new diplomatic agreement. Representatives in Tehran rejected claims that a signing ceremony is scheduled to occur in Geneva this Sunday, stating the proposed June 14 timeline aligns suspiciously with the American leader’s birthday and a planned UFC White House event.
The US President will also hold simultaneous discussions with his French counterpart and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The finalization of the India-US trade deal and the recent US missile strikes that killed Indian seafarers are likely to figure in discussions.
Trump’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron is slated to be held at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday, ahead of his return to Washington.
Trump’s work list in G7 is reportedly peppered with issues of shared importance, including economic growth and development, supply chain resilience, illegal migration and artificial intelligence.
