Despite French President Emmanuel Macron hosting the event, it was Donald Trump who sought to dominate the proceedings. As G7 leaders convened in the French resort town of Evian-les-Bains on Wednesday, the US president made a late entrance to the morning session.
“I’m the boss,” Trump declared as he entered the room, where the other world leaders were already seated. His remark drew laughter from those present.
Macron greeted him by asking, “How are you?” “Good, thank you,” Trump replied before taking his seat.
Trump at the G7 Summit
Trump’s attendance throughout the three-day summit came just days after he announced a tentative peace agreement with Iran.
French officials had reason to feel relieved. Unlike the previous G7 summit in Canada, where Trump departed early, he stayed for the entire gathering in France and signed the final G7 communique.
Macron also invited Trump to dinner at the Palace of Versailles following the summit. The French President had said beforehand that the evening would not be a “gala” dinner.
As photographers briefly entered the meeting room, Trump joked again, “Would you like to stay for the meeting? It’s ok with me.” The press was later ushered out.
G7 backs US-Iran peace deal
The summit delivered major diplomatic outcomes. G7 leaders expressed their support for Trump’s preliminary agreement with Iran, a deal intended to reopen the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz following months of disruption. The tensions originated when the United States and Israel jointly bombed Iran and assassinated several senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
In a joint statement, the leaders commended Trump’s “strong leadership” in achieving what they called a breakthrough. They described the agreement, expected to be formally signed on Friday, June 19, as a “historic opportunity to prevent Iran from acquiring any nuclear weapon.”
Russia-Ukraine war was also on the agenda
Ukraine remained a central topic of discussion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Kyiv’s allies attended the summit hoping to persuade Trump that Ukraine’s recent battlefield successes had improved its negotiating position for any future peace talks with Moscow.
Trump called his meeting with Zelensky and other leaders “very good,” while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney highlighted what he viewed as a shift in the US stance.’
“There has been a change in position on the part of the United States and President Trump,” Carney said, as per the Associated Press. “There is a position that is harder toward Russia and more realistic, in our view, of the situation on the ground of the war.”
