Zelenskyy, Trump, Macron Hold Trilateral Meeting on G7 Sidelines
The leaders of Ukraine, the US, and France met in person for the first time since February to discuss Russia's war and potential paths to peace talks.
Trilateral Meeting at G7
On June 16, on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump, and French President Emmanuel Macron held a trilateral meeting. This was the first in-person conversation between Zelenskyy and Trump in nearly four months.
After the meeting, the three leaders joined other G7 participants for a joint working session, where the main topic is Russia's war against Ukraine. Western media report that other leaders had to wait almost an hour before Zelenskyy, Macron, and Trump entered the hall.
Context of the Talks
The meeting takes place as Kyiv increases pressure on Moscow to arrange direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy. Meanwhile, US-mediated peace negotiations have been effectively frozen since February, when Washington's attention shifted to the war with Iran.
Prior to the trilateral meeting, Macron had a brief bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy. According to The Guardian, Macron asked Zelenskyy if he had a scheduled bilateral meeting with Trump, and upon a negative answer, offered to arrange one.
Upon arriving in France for the G7 summit, Trump stated that both Zelenskyy and Putin are "open to do something" to end the war in Ukraine.
