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The Latest: Trump at G7 summit for talks with world leaders on Iran and Ukraine

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The Latest: Trump at G7 summit for talks with world leaders on Iran and Ukraine
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The Latest: Trump at G7 summit for talks with world leaders on Iran and Ukraine

2026-06-16 18:21 Last Updated At:18:30

Leaders of the Group of Seven are discussing Russia's war in Ukraine along with a tentative deal struck by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the conflict with Iran as they meet for the first full day at the G7 summit of leading industrialized nations on Tuesday in the French town of Evian-les-Bains.

Trump said he would focus again on Ukraine following a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron shortly after arriving late Monday in the lakeside spa town.

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Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrives at the Hotel Royal for a G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP)

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrives at the Hotel Royal for a G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Hotel Royal for the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Hotel Royal for the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP)

From left, Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

From left, Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

From left, U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

From left, U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Monday, June 15, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Monday, June 15, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

French President Emmanuel Macron waves from a car leaving after meeting security forces ahead of G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

French President Emmanuel Macron waves from a car leaving after meeting security forces ahead of G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One, Monday, June 15, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One, Monday, June 15, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

U.S. President Donald Trump talks as he greets France's President Emmanuel Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron at the G7 summit, Monday, June 15, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

U.S. President Donald Trump talks as he greets France's President Emmanuel Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron at the G7 summit, Monday, June 15, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

“Now that this (Iran) is finished, we’re going to be focusing on that,” Trump said.

Macron said he will seek to persuade Trump to continue supporting Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to help reach a peace agreement more than four years after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the war. Trump said he had good conversations on Sunday with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is attending the summit at France’s invitation.

The leaders also will have a working session focused on ending crises and ensuring stability in the Middle East. They are expected to discuss the global economic crisis resulting from the war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will join the talks.

Shortly before his arrival, Trump announced an agreement to end the 3 1/2-month-old U.S. war against Iran.

The G7 includes France, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom. Guest nations at this summit include Brazil, Egypt, India, Kenya, South Korea, Qatar, Ukraine and the UAE.

Here is the latest:

The U.S. is “not investing any money in Iran,” Trump said.

“That rumor got out there yesterday, it was ridiculous,” he told reporters. “We have no obligation to invest any money in Iran.”

The president made the comment a day after senior U.S. officials told reporters that a memorandum of understanding includes a $300 billion fund to help rebuild if Tehran meets certain benchmarks.

Trump denied the claim twice on Tuesday during a bilateral meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

Trump said he is “not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and with Hezbollah.”

“They should have been able to deal with them faster,” Trump told reporters in reference to Israeli operations to target Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

“It just goes on forever. And when that happens, it throws a negative light on the big deal. And that’s the deal with Iran,” he said.

The U.S. president said he wants to focus on Ukraine, adding that the issue of Iran will soon be “back in the rear view mirror.”

Trump, who said he will meet with Zelenskyy for further talks, downplayed the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine on the U.S., but lamented the death toll.

“The whole thing is ridiculous,” Trump said. “So, yeah, I’m going to do whatever I can.”

Trump and Sheikh Tamim have much to discuss with the U.S. and Iran expected to formally sign a ceasefire settlement later this week and open up negotiations about Tehran’s nuclear program.

“You’ll always be my friend,” Trump said at the start of the bilateral meeting.

The emir in turned thanked Trump for his leadership, adding that the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran “is a very important deal” but much work remains to be done.

The desert peninsula of Qatar was shaken by the three-month Iran war.

Iranian strikes caused billions of dollars in damage to Qatar’s critical energy infrastructure. Experts estimate it will take three to five years to repair liquefied natural gas pipelines that were damaged by strikes.

Trump and other leaders of the G7 gathered with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for an hour and 15 minutes Tuesday morning at the summit in Evian-les-Bains.

The talks focused on how to “build peace and security for Ukraine and Europe,” the French organizers of the summit said.

Macron and Zelenskyy took a little walk through the wooded garden at the Hotel Royal as they held bilateral talks before joining other G7 leaders.

French organizers of the G7 summit in the resort town of Evian-les-Bains placed Ukraine high on the agenda during efforts to end the war more than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Macron said he would urge Trump to maintain U.S. support for Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to help secure a peace agreement.

“The right negotiation is one with Ukraine and Russia at the table, with Europeans and Americans also present,” Macron said Monday.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has had a frosty relationship with Trump, gave the U.S. president a soccer jersey with Trump’s name and the number 47 on the back.

Merz approached with the jersey as Trump sat down at a conference table for a working session. Trump smiled and held it up for a photo.

The white jersey appeared to be the same one the German national team is wearing in the ongoing World Cup.

Merz and Trump exchanged barbs earlier this year after Merz said the U.S. was being “humiliated” by Iran and criticized the U.S. for going into the war without any strategy.

Trump later said Merz “should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine” and “fixing his broken Country, especially Immigration and Energy.”

Trump is scheduled to host one-on-one talks with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan later in the morning.

The Gulf nations are not part of the G7, but Macron extended invitations to the leaders to take part in the summit at a fraught moment for the region.

G7 leaders also will convene a working lunch to discuss the situation in the Middle East, where the conversation is expected to focus on the path ahead after the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran.

Britain has announced a new set of sanctions targeting the “shadow fleet” Russia uses to ship oil and gas and the finance networks used by Moscow to evade Western sanctions.

The sanctioned ships include several vessels recently purchased by Russia to ship liquefied natural gas from its sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project.

Britain says it has now sanctioned more than 600 shadow fleet vessels.

U.K. troops seized a Russian shadow fleet vessel in the English Channel for the first time last weekend.

The sanctions were announced as Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends the G7 summit in France. He is due to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday.

Zelenskyy is getting some time for private talks with Macron before he is scheduled to meet with the other G7 leaders, according to the French government.

Five of the seven leaders, representing Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy and Japan, were huddled in conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before the start of the first session on Ukraine.

Trump was missing. Macron, too, hadn’t arrived yet because he was with Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of the morning working session with G7 leaders to discuss the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrives at the Hotel Royal for a G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP)

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrives at the Hotel Royal for a G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Hotel Royal for the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Hotel Royal for the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP)

From left, Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

From left, Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

From left, U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

From left, U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Monday, June 15, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Monday, June 15, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

French President Emmanuel Macron waves from a car leaving after meeting security forces ahead of G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

French President Emmanuel Macron waves from a car leaving after meeting security forces ahead of G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One, Monday, June 15, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One, Monday, June 15, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

U.S. President Donald Trump talks as he greets France's President Emmanuel Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron at the G7 summit, Monday, June 15, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

U.S. President Donald Trump talks as he greets France's President Emmanuel Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron at the G7 summit, Monday, June 15, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — U.S. allies at the Group of Seven summit of major industrialized nations worked Tuesday to push the war in Ukraine back up the agenda of President Donald Trump after more than four years of fighting sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The Iran conflict has in recent weeks overshadowed the war in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin launched. Host President Emmanuel Macron of France said he’ll seek to persuade Trump to continue supporting Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to help reach a peace agreement.

As the U.S. under Trump has cut back aid to Ukraine, France and its European allies are now the biggest providers of military and financial support to Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined G7 leaders for a morning working session but talks wrapped quickly, as leaders gathered for just 75 minutes, according to the French G7 presidency.

The Ukraine talks came on the heels of Trump’s announcement of an agreement to end the 3 1/2-month-old U.S. war against Iran. Trump said Tuesday he’ll be meeting one-on-one with Zelenskyy.

Trump said he wants to focus on Ukraine now, saying Iran will soon be “back in the rearview mirror.” He downplayed the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on the U.S. but lamented the death toll.

“The whole thing is ridiculous,” Trump said. “So, yeah, I’m going to do whatever I can.”

Meanwhile, the U.K. announced a new set of sanctions targeting the “ shadow fleet ” Russia uses to ship oil and gas, and the finance networks used by Moscow to evade Western sanctions. The ships targeted include several vessels recently purchased by Russia to transport liquefied natural gas from its sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project. Last weekend, U.K. troops seized a Russian shadow fleet vessel in the English Channel for the first time.

Hours before the start of the G7 summit, Russia fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine’s biggest cities in a barrage that killed 11 people and set fire to a religious landmark.

The attacks on Ukraine's biggest cities came after Zelenskyy and Putin spoke separately by phone with Trump on Sunday, the U.S. leader's 80th birthday. The exchange suggests Washington hasn’t given up on its diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting that followed Moscow’s all-out invasion of its neighbor in 2022.

While campaigning in 2024 for a return to the White House, Trump claimed he could end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office. He has since acknowledged it has proved much harder than he initially thought.

Ukraine on Monday officially started European Union membership negotiations, launching a process that will require its government to commit to years of political reforms even as it fights the Russian invasion.

Ukraine sees EU membership as a security guarantee for a stable future once the war ends. Its best guarantee would be membership in the NATO military alliance, but the Trump administration insists that cannot happen, and others are wary of it joining while the war continues.

The U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal is getting plenty of attention at Tuesday’s sessions. Trump held one-on-one talks with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and will meet with United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan later. The Gulf nations are not part of the G7, but Macron extended invitations to the leaders to take part in the summit at a fraught moment for the region.

G7 leaders will also convene a working lunch to discuss the situation in the Middle East, where the path ahead after the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement is expected to be the focus of the conversation.

In recent months, Trump has had sharp disagreements with Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over his failure to consult them before the decision to go to war in Iran. Trump has threatened reprisals, including drawing down U.S. troops in all four countries, all NATO members, for their lack of support.

Despite those disagreements, U.S. allies seek rapid progress that could ease the economic impact of rising oil prices caused by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

“I think a lot of great things are going to happen in the Middle East right now, and very importantly the oil is plummeting down and the stock market is shooting up like a rocket today,” Trump said.

Macron said France and other Western partners are “ready to take action very quickly” to help reopen the strait peacefully. France and the U.K. have championed a mission to restore maritime security in the strait as soon as conditions allow.

Trump, however, appeared to downplay the need for a large international military deployment. “I don’t think we’re gonna need much help,” he said during his meeting with Macron. “But I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have a ship or two up here from a few countries. You’d be a great country to do it.”

The G7 comprises France, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom. Other guest nations at this summit, including Brazil, India, Kenya and South Korea, were invited to participate in some discussions.

Madhani reported from Geneva. Jill Lawless and Samuel Petrequin in London contributed to this report.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrives at the Hotel Royal for a G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP)

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrives at the Hotel Royal for a G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, center, presents U.S. President Donald Trump, right, with a jersey with the number 47 on it as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, looks on during a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, center, presents U.S. President Donald Trump, right, with a jersey with the number 47 on it as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, looks on during a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Hotel Royal for the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Hotel Royal for the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. President Donald Trump waits for the start of a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

U.S. President Donald Trump waits for the start of a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, holds up a jersey with the number 47 on it as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz look on during a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, holds up a jersey with the number 47 on it as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz look on during a working session at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, attend a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (Yoan Valat, Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, attend a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (Yoan Valat, Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives with his wife Victoria Starmer ahead of the G7 Summit, held in France's Evian-les-Bains, in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday June 15, 2026. (Isabel Infantes, Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives with his wife Victoria Starmer ahead of the G7 Summit, held in France's Evian-les-Bains, in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday June 15, 2026. (Isabel Infantes, Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron waves from a car leaving after meeting security forces ahead of G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

French President Emmanuel Macron waves from a car leaving after meeting security forces ahead of G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Emmanuel Macron, President of France, left, greets U.S. President Donald Trump during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Emmanuel Macron, President of France, left, greets U.S. President Donald Trump during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Monday, June 15, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

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