Ukraine, Middle East Dominate G7 Agenda as Zelenskyy Joins Summit Talks

World leaders gathered in the French Alpine resort town of Évian-les-Bains on Tuesday for the second day of the G7 summit , with Ukraine and the Middle East dominating a packed diplomatic agenda. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined the talks at the invitation of host France, bringing an urgent frontline perspective to discussions that Western allies hope will refocus American attention on the nearly four-and-a-half-year-old war with Russia.

The summit's atmosphere was immediately shaped by events on the ground. Hours before proceedings began, Russia unleashed hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles across Ukrainian cities, killing 11 people and destroying a religious landmark. Simultaneously, Ukrainian drones struck a major oil refinery on the outskirts of Moscow, triggering flight suspensions at four of the capital's airports.

Zelenskyy sat with all seven leaders in a morning session that concluded within 75 minutes. He emerged describing the meeting as productive, noting that G7 nations expressed support for supplying additional Patriot air defence systems and discussed expanding licensed production of the technology. He also said the group collectively agreed that Russia was not prevailing in the conflict and that coordinated pressure on Vladimir Putin was necessary to bring the war to an end.

French President Emmanuel Macron positioned himself as the summit's primary advocate for Ukraine, pledging to personally urge U.S. President Donald Trump to maintain military and financial backing for Kyiv and intensify economic pressure on Moscow. With Washington having scaled back direct aid, France and its European partners have stepped in as Ukraine's leading supporters.

Trump, for his part, signalled a renewed willingness to engage, saying the conclusion of U.S. military involvement in Iran meant Ukraine would now take centre stage. He confirmed a planned one-on-one meeting with Zelenskyy and indicated that sanctions against Russia would be reinstated soon.

The two leaders had both spoken separately with Trump by phone on Sunday, his 80th birthday. A separate session on Middle East stability brought in the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates alongside G7 members. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also arrived for his seventh consecutive G7 appearance, with a bilateral meeting with Trump expected on Wednesday.

On Monday, Ukraine formally opened European Union accession negotiations , a milestone that underscored its deepening ties with the West even amid active conflict. The summit concludes Wednesday with a joint communiqué expected to test allied unity .