Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G7 summit, seeking to revive stalled peace talks with Moscow. This marked the first face-to-face encounter between Zelensky and Trump in nearly four months. The three leaders participated in a joint working session where Russia's war against Ukraine was a central topic. Zelensky had previously offered to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G7 or in the U.S., an offer that Russia reportedly refused. Zelensky has argued that only Putin has the authority to end the war, and U.S.-mediated peace talks have been frozen since February. He expressed hope that Trump would help facilitate a trilateral meeting involving himself and Putin in the United States, stating that pressure would be needed if Russia refused this chance. The Kremlin has consistently avoided meeting Zelensky in a neutral country, insisting he travel to Moscow, a proposal Kyiv views as an attempt to avoid meaningful negotiations. Zelensky accused Putin of behaving 'cynically' by launching an overnight attack on Kyiv and Kharkiv, which killed at least 10 people, hours after his call with Trump. Zelensky's priority at the G7 meeting is securing more air defense systems. Trump vowed to turn his attention back to Ukraine as his administration pushes forward on a deal to end the war in Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. G7 leaders reached a broad agreement to increase economic pressure on Russia. Zelenskiy also stated that Russia would face a difficult winter if a peace deal was not reached before then, and that Trump responded positively to his request to increase air defense missile supplies to Ukraine.
