G7 Summit Tests Trump Ties With Allies Over Iran, Ukraine

President Donald Trump touched down in France on Monday for the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, where he plans to meet with Middle Eastern leaders to advance a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war with Iran. The president held a bilateral session with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, followed by talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, before joining a working lunch with G7 heads and other regional figures.

Senior administration officials said the core issue remains performance from Iran on opening the strait without tolls in exchange for lifting the U.S. blockade. One official noted that G7 countries have signaled willingness to support the broader agreement once that step occurs. Trump has repeatedly voiced frustration that most European partners failed to back American efforts to keep commerce flowing through the vital waterway in recent months.

The schedule also includes a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday evening and a working session on Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. No formal one-on-one between Trump and Zelensky is set, though officials said the two could connect on the sidelines. Trump has pressed for a realistic end to the Ukraine conflict that accounts for battlefield realities rather than indefinite Western aid.

European leaders at the table include British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and others who have shown little enthusiasm for the Iran effort. Trump has publicly criticized several of them for offering tepid responses or none at all, and they in turn have grumbled about U.S. tariff policies and the pace of Ukraine negotiations. The atmosphere has been described as passive-aggressive at best, with some analysts noting that outright confrontation remains possible if discussions turn heated.

Beyond the wars, the agenda covers trade disputes, artificial intelligence rules, supply chain security and critical minerals. Trump has stressed restoring American leverage on these fronts after years of one-sided arrangements that disadvantaged U.S. workers and industry. Officials traveling with the president pointed to recent momentum on the Iran front as evidence that direct pressure can produce results where multilateral hand-wringing has not.

Additional guests at the summit include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and others invited by Macron. The focus for the American side stays fixed on concrete outcomes: secure shipping lanes, reduced energy price spikes and a Ukraine settlement that does not require endless American resources. Trump has made clear he expects partners to contribute meaningfully rather than lecture from the sidelines while benefiting from U.S. security guarantees.

The three-day gathering comes at a moment when global energy markets remain sensitive to developments in the Gulf. Administration sources indicated that any final Iran arrangement will tie compliance to verifiable actions on nuclear material and regional behavior. Trump’s approach prioritizes American commercial access and deterrence over abstract multilateral frameworks that have repeatedly fallen short.