Ukrainian President Meets G7 Leaders at Closed-Door Session

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined G7 leaders for a closed-door meeting on the war in Ukraine at the Hotel Royal in Evian, France. French President Emmanuel Macron greeted Zelensky at the gate and the two spoke in English about further meetings and relations with the United States. Macron encouraged Zelensky to remain at the summit, but Zelensky said he was expected in Brussels.

House officials stated before the summit that President Trump would not hold a solo meeting with Zelensky but did not rule out a conversation on the sidelines. Trump arrived 50 minutes late to the session and entered the conference room ahead of Macron and Zelensky, who had been meeting privately.

European leaders want the United States to support a peace deal on Ukraine’s terms. President Trump spoke with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday and expressed optimism that an agreement might be possible. Zelensky proposed that he and Putin hold peace talks in the United States.

He made the suggestion during his Sunday conversation with President Trump and repeated it in a video posted on X on Monday. Ahead of the G7 summit, Russia fired dozens of missiles at Ukraine’s largest cities, killing 11 people. Zelensky had traveled to London the previous week to meet with European leaders.