G7 Summit Tests Trump Ties With Allies Over Iran, Ukraine

President Donald Trump touched down in France on Monday for the annual Group of Seven summit, where leaders from the United States and its closest democratic partners are set to confront deepening divisions over the three-month-old war with Iran, the grinding conflict in Ukraine and a raft of trade disputes.

The gathering in the lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains comes days after Trump announced a tentative agreement with Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the lifting of a U.S. blockade. The deal, which still requires further negotiation, has done little to ease friction with European governments that have questioned the legal basis for the American military campaign and complained they were not consulted before strikes began in late February.

Trump is scheduled to hold separate bilateral meetings with the Emir of Qatar and the president of the United Arab Emirates on Monday, followed by a working lunch that will include G7 members and several Middle Eastern leaders. A senior administration official said the Strait of Hormuz would be a central topic, with Iran required to keep the waterway open without tolls before sanctions relief takes effect.

European participants have made clear they remain uneasy about the broader trajectory of U.S. policy. French President Emmanuel Macron, the summit host, has described the American assault on Iran as falling outside the framework of international law. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have also drawn sharp criticism from Trump for what he called insufficient support. In return, the European leaders have voiced frustration over Trump’s tariff agenda and his insistence that Kyiv should accept a ceasefire on terms favorable to Moscow.

Only Macron is slated for a formal one-on-one session with Trump this week. No bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is currently on the schedule, though officials said the two men could speak on the sidelines during a Tuesday session that will include all G7 leaders and Zelensky. Trump has previously told Zelensky he “doesn’t have the cards,” a remark that has lingered as Ukrainian forces have expanded their use of long-range drones against Russian energy infrastructure.

The personal strains are not limited to policy disagreements. Trump has publicly mocked Starmer’s leadership, questioned the commitment of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and made pointed historical references to Japan and Germany. Analysts note that five of the six other national leaders have been targets of Trump’s rhetorical attacks in recent months, leaving only Macron with a scheduled private encounter.

Beyond the immediate conflicts, the agenda includes artificial intelligence, supply-chain security and critical minerals. Yet officials on both sides of the Atlantic expect the Iran and Ukraine dossiers to dominate private conversations. European officials have signaled they will press Trump on energy-price spikes tied to the Hormuz closure and on the risk that renewed tariffs could further destabilize global markets already rattled by the war.

Trump’s delegation, which includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, arrived after the president attended a mixed-martial-arts event on the White House lawn. Administration officials described the summit as an opportunity to showcase restored American leadership. European diplomats, however, described a more guarded atmosphere in which leaders are seeking to avoid open confrontation while still registering their objections to Washington’s unilateral approach.

The three-day meeting is also expected to feature discussions with invited guests including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose attendance remained uncertain as of Sunday. The presence of these leaders underscores the summit’s focus on Middle East diplomacy even as core G7 relationships remain under evident strain.