G7 Puts Strait of Hormuz Reopening on the Agenda as Lee, Trump and Altman Gather

[Financial News] As the international order is shaken by the prolonged wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) are gathering in France. The summit is expected to focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, supporting Ukraine and easing global economic imbalances.
According to the Élysée Palace on the 14th local time, the G7 summit will be held from June 15 to 17 in Evian-les-Bains, a resort town in southeastern France. Leaders of the G7 member states — the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada — will attend, along with invited leaders from South Korea, Brazil, India, Kenya and Egypt.
President Lee Jae-myung will attend as an invited guest for the second year in a row, following last year’s summit in Canada. He is expected to meet leaders of major countries and discuss developments in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine and economic security issues.
On the evening of the first day, June 15, G7 leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, will discuss the Middle East, the war in Ukraine and macroeconomic imbalances.
The Élysée Palace sees restoring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz as a top priority. France is seeking to use a maritime coalition to reopen the waterway and create conditions for follow-up talks between the United States and Iran.
France and the United Kingdom are currently leading efforts to form a multinational framework to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. As the United States and Europe have clashed over military support since the outbreak of the Middle East war, the summit is expected to serve as a test of Western unity.
On the second day, June 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will hold a separate meeting with G7 leaders. The participants are expected to reaffirm their policy of continued political, military and financial support for Ukraine and discuss ways to resume substantive talks between Russia and Ukraine. Territorial issues, sanctions on Russia and postwar security guarantees are likely to be key topics.
That same day, G7 leaders will also attend a luncheon with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ). The meeting is expected to focus on securing the Strait of Hormuz and restoring maritime transport routes in the Middle East.
For the meetings on international crises, the chair’s summary is expected to be released instead of a joint statement.
On the final day of the summit, June 17, artificial intelligence will emerge as a key agenda item. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and other major tech executives will attend to discuss the direction of AI development, standards and international cooperation.
The Élysée Palace also said that a G7 and invited-country joint declaration is expected on topics including online child protection, development aid reform, macroeconomic imbalances and cancer research cooperation.
km@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-min Reporter