G7, After Iran, Presses for an End to the War in Ukraine... Trump Says He Will "Do Anything"

[Financial News] Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), meeting in France, plan to step up pressure on Russia in earnest after the Iran war has begun to subside, in an effort to bring the war in Ukraine to an end. U.S. President Donald Trump, who had previously taken a relatively cautious stance on pressuring Russia, also said he would "do anything I can," including restoring sanctions on Russian oil.
According to POLITICO, G7 leaders gathered in Évian-les-Bains, France, on the second day of the summit, on the 16th (local time), for a working session on ending the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also attended the meeting. The outcome was not made public.
A French official who attended the meeting told AFP that "the leaders decided today to intensify pressure on Russia through sanctions on oil and natural gas." The official added that the leaders agreed there is "a favorable momentum for Ukraine." A German official, speaking to Deutsche Welle (DW), said that "Europe showed a very united front."
Trump, who had shown a pro-Russia stance in Ukraine peace talks since last year, said he would intensify pressure on Russia to end the war as the Iran conflict entered a lull. Separately from the G7 meeting, Trump held a trilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and Zelenskyy. It was the first time Zelenskyy had met Trump in person since the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos in January.
After the talks, Zelenskyy told reporters, "We agreed with G7 members to expand air defense support," adding, "We discussed both air defense systems and missile support." He also said he had directly raised with Trump the issue of securing licenses to produce ballistic missile interceptors and missiles domestically.
After the meeting, Trump said, "It was a good meeting. I will meet Zelenskyy again later today," adding, "Russia has to come to the negotiating table. I will do anything I can."
After meeting with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the G7 summit, Trump told reporters that when asked whether the suspension of sanctions on Russian oil would expire, he said, "We suspended the sanctions because we obviously did not want to hurt the United States. Now that there is an oversupply of oil, we will be able to do that soon," referring to the resumption of sanctions.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the United States has imposed sanctions on buyers of Russian oil and those involved in related transactions. But after oil prices surged following the Iran war in February, Washington temporarily eased those sanctions starting in March.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters that Trump had responded positively to European participation in peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine war. "Trump was cooperative," Merz said. "I am somewhat optimistic that Europeans and Americans will do everything they can to end this war." On the same day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X, "The momentum is shifting in Ukraine's favor." She stressed, "The situation in 2026 will be very different from 2025. Ukraine is bravely holding the line. Russia's fatigue is becoming public. It is time to double our support."
Earlier, Zelenskyy proposed in a statement on the 15th that Russian President Vladimir Putin meet him directly at the France G7 talks. In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing on the 16th that Putin had not been invited to the G7 meeting. He then said, "If Zelenskyy is ready to talk responsibly and seriously, he should come to Moscow anytime," adding, "Russia is ready to receive him."

[email protected] Park Jong-won Reporter