Ukraine’s allies are seeking to avoid a confrontation with US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit as he turns his attention away from the Iran crisis and back toward Russia’s war against Ukraine, as reported by POLITICO.
Speaking in France ahead of the summit, Trump said he would now focus on efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
“Now that this [the Iran issue] is over, we will focus on that [Ukraine] and see if we can get it done,” Trump said during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
POLITICO reports that Trump’s remarks have done little to reassure Europe’s strongest supporters of Ukraine. Behind the scenes, European officials fear the US president could attempt to regain control of peace negotiations, sideline European allies, and undermine their strategy of maintaining maximum pressure on Russia while providing unwavering support to Kyiv.
“Trump being distracted was not necessarily a bad thing,” one EU diplomat told the publication on condition of anonymity.
European officials are also concerned about Trump’s recent lengthy phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which reportedly took place on Putin’s birthday.
“We had a very good conversation yesterday with President Zelensky and President Putin, and I think we may be able to do something. I believe both of them are very open to it,” Trump said.
Further concerns emerged after Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov announced that Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are expected to visit Moscow in the near future.
Another key issue is who should lead future negotiations and what framework should be used. In recent meetings with European leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky argued that Europe should participate in negotiations not as a mediator but as an ally with shared interests.
Ahead of the G7 summit, European and Ukrainian officials stressed the importance of maintaining a strong common negotiating position backed by the United States, including rejecting any assumptions that Kyiv should surrender territory as part of a settlement.
POLITICO also noted that Germany, France, and the United Kingdom took their first cautious steps toward direct engagement with Moscow last week, sending representatives to meet Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin.
The three countries reiterated long-standing European demands for a full and immediate ceasefire, robust security guarantees for Ukraine, and the use of the current front line as the starting point for any future negotiations.
However, POLITICO warns that if Trump becomes more actively involved in the peace process, he may not share Europe’s vision for how negotiations should proceed—or may not want European allies at the negotiating table at all.
