The working dinner that started last night in Evian was the first opportunity that the six leaders and the heads of the EU had. to discuss directly with the US president the preliminary agreement his administration reached with the US to end a war that has seen many of its key allies distance themselves.
The Trump Study
The maneuver with the “electronic signature” of the memorandum before the official ceremony next Friday and without announcing its content, as, for which he hastened to celebrate during his reception by the host.
The cosmopolitan Evian resort on the shores of Lake Geneva bears no resemblance to the martial arts arena Trump has set up at the White House to celebrate his 80th birthday, but the G7 summit could turn into a diplomatic ring if the US president sticks to his smug style and snide remarks about his counterparts.
(AP Photo/Michel Euler, Pool)
All four European leaders participating in the Evian summit (French President Macron, German Chancellor Merz, Italian Prime Minister Meloni and British Prime Minister Starmer) have condemned Trump for launching a joint war with Israel without even consulting them, while refusing to directly support the US and being the target of disparaging remarks by the US president.
The governments of Canada and Japan had also expressed reservations. Last Sunday everyone heard President Trump thanking Chinese President Xi and Russian President Putin for their contribution to ending the war with Iran.
Of the Chinese president in particular, Trump said he “was a true gentleman” for not sending a tanker into the Gulf accompanied by dozens of warships to test the strength of the US naval blockade. It remains unclear what the takeaway was during President Trump’s recent “very successful” trip to Beijing.
Now France and Britain say they are ready to take part with warships in the operation for safe and free passage for all through the Straits, provided the conflict ends.
In second place is the Gaza Strip
The Europeans are asking Washington to rein in Israel in Lebanon, but this takes a backseat while another parameter is the easing of economic sanctions and the “reconstruction” of Iran.
The and the undeclared trade war with China are two other big issues at the G7 summit, which concludes with a dinner in Versailles on Wednesday, with Trump not certain to attend. Until then, all leaders will have to walk a fine line if they want to avoid an open conflict with the American president.
Trump on the war in Ukraine
However, Donald Trump stated that he intends to deal intensively with the Ukrainian issue again. “Now that this (Iran) is over, we’re going to focus on the other thing,” Trump said, referring to diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
“Present” Zelensky at the G7
Swiss Confederation President Guy Parmelin with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before a bilateral meeting in Geneva June 15, 2026. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/Pool
The French president has invited his Ukrainian counterpart Zelensky to the summit, who will attend a working meeting with the G7.
On the sidelines of the summit, Trump will meet with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, with no separate meeting with Zelensky scheduled. But Trump already spoke separately, by phone, with Putin and Zelensky. According to the Kremlin, the US president said he was ready to influence the G7 and European allies to stop the war.
The US-Europe trade front
Another important issue that remains “frozen”, but open, is the trade front between Europe and the USA. Just yesterday, Trump returned to threats to impose 100% tariffs on French wines if Paris insists on taxing US tech giants, while Macron responded that “the US does not decide European and French law”.
Artificial intelligence is also on the agenda
The Evian meeting will also examine issues related to artificial intelligence, its effects on the economy and everyday life, as well as potential regulatory interventions. This is given by heads and senior executives of giants such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta, Mistral AI, etc.
Meanwhile the World Bank revised down its forecast for this year’s global growth from 2.9% to 2.5% as inflationary pressures intensify and the ECB raised interest rates for the first time since 2023.
News of the US-Iran memorandum sparked euphoria at the Evian summit and boosted markets. The talks that will be held in the next two months will determine whether the truce can develop into true peace.
