G7 Finds Surprise Unity on Ukraine as Trump Dangles Russia Oil Sanctions
At the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, leaders unexpectedly converged behind Ukraine after Trump backed reimposing Russian oil sanctions — in exchange for help finalizing his Iran ceasefire and clearing the Strait of Hormuz.
A summit that braced for a blowup and got a breakthrough
Group of Seven leaders arrived in Évian-les-Bains expecting a clash with U.S. President Donald Trump over Iran and Ukraine, and instead emerged from the first full day of talks unexpectedly aligned behind Kyiv.politico After a 75-minute session with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump declared that "Russia has to make a deal" and signaled the United States could soon reimpose sanctions on Russia's oil sector.politico +1 By early Wednesday, all seven leaders — Trump included — had signed a joint declaration vowing to boost military support for Ukraine and tighten sanctions on Moscow.sandiegouniontribune
Trump's overture comes with a price tag
The conciliatory turn carries a transactional logic familiar to the author of The Art of the Deal. Behind closed doors, Trump pressed his counterparts to back his framework ceasefire with Iran and to help clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz before Vice President JD Vance arrives in Geneva to finalize the agreement.politico In exchange, diplomats said, "there's got to be some give on Ukraine."politico Trump tied the two theaters together explicitly, saying Washington can restore the Russian oil sanctions it waived during the Iran war now that crude "is now flowing" again through the reopened Strait.sandiegouniontribune +1
The joint declaration names Trump three times, crediting his Iran deal as the reason the moment is now ripe for tougher measures. "We consider this the right moment to proceed with additional measures, as President Trump has delivered a deal that we support in reopening the Strait of Hormuz," it reads.sandiegouniontribune Leaders also pledged more air defense interceptors and long-range systems for Ukraine and floated licensing arrangements to expand Kyiv's own weapons production.sandiegouniontribune
A charm offensive to keep Washington in the tent
The thaw owed much to careful stagecraft. To avoid a repeat of last year's summit, which Trump left early, French President Emmanuel Macron extended the visit with a dinner invitation to the Palace of Versailles, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gifted Trump a national football jersey numbered 47.politico Zelenskyy, for his part, showed leaders an image of a Kyiv cathedral set ablaze by a Russian drone strike that killed at least 11 people hours before the summit opened.politico +1
Diplomats cautioned against reading too much into the mood, noting Trump has reversed pro-Ukraine statements before.politico British Prime Minister Keir Starmer nonetheless described "a real sense of unity in the G7, a sort of shared consensus that things are changing," as London unveiled fresh sanctions on Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil and gas tankers.al-monitor +1 The immediate aim, one senior EU official said, is keeping Trump inside the Western camp ahead of next month's NATO summit in Ankara.politico