G7 summit begins, with Iran and Ukraine dominating agenda

For a while, a quiet uncertainty hung over this summit - would he actually come? In the end, Donald Trump showed up right on time.

The US president arrived punctually at the Hotel Royal ahead of the G7 summit. Fresh from an extravagant 80th birthday celebration, Trump appeared relaxed as he briefly addressed waiting cameras before disappearing inside.

As this year's G7 summit officially opens Wednesday evening, the agenda is dense.

One key question will be how Trump responds to a new European initiative - led by Germany, France and the United Kingdom -  to revive peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, with both the United States and Europe at the table. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to join G7 leaders on Tuesday morning, Is there a momentum for a new approach?

As G7 leaders arrive in Evian, EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg have formally launched accession talks with Ukraine. This marks a key milestone for Kyiv after more than two years of delays due to Hungary's blockade. "Today we are taking a historic step towards the integration of Ukraine into the European Union," said European Council President Antonio Costa in Evian.  "This is a huge step forward," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. "Kyiv has delivered and now the EU must deliver too."

Overall, Ukraine is currently seen as being in a strong position. "Ukraine is holding the front line and even partially regaining territory," von der Leyen said. "On the other hand, Russia is feeling the strain and pressure. Our sanctions are biting and cutting deep."

Maintaining that pressure through continued support for Ukraine and additional sanctions on Russia remains the core strategy of the Europeans and their partners, with the aim of pushing President Vladimir Putin towards meaningful peace negotiations.

The question now here in Evian is what Trump will bring to the table. G7 leaders are expected to listen closely to his account of a recent phone call with Putin, who reportedly congratulated him on his birthday just a day earlier.

A newly announced preliminary agreement between Washington and Tehran is raising cautious optimism among European leaders that a "very costly" confrontation could finally be brought to an end and that the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened. 

"Implementation is the priority," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Evian ahead of the G7 summit, where the deal is expected to be widely discussed.

While Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy, the so-called E4, have expressed their willingness to lift sanctions on Iran, von der Leyen made clear that any such move would depend on measurable change on the ground and insisted on strict conditions before sanctions are eased.

"We have a framework of sanctions that is responding to two main features: the violation of human rights and weapons of mass destruction," she said. "The principle of sanctions is that we need real change on the ground before we can think about lifting them. Sanctions are in place to change behavior."

Von der Leyen, alongside European Council President Antonio Costa, is representing the European Union at the summit and setting the tone at the Hotel Royal even before heads of state and government arrive.

The Commission president added that any easing of restrictions would require credible and verifiable progress.

"If behavior is changing credibly and verifiably, sanctions can be ended — but the other way around is also true," she said. "As long as there is no behavioral change, you cannot lift the sanctions because of human rights violations and and weapons of mass descstruction."

At the G7 summit, one key question will be what exactly US President Donald Trump expects from European partners to help secure and sustain the Iran agreement.

On Ukraine, attention will turn to whether the agreement between Iran and the United States could generate fresh momentum for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Much will likely depend on whether Trump re-engages diplomatically — and whether Europeans can secure a meaningful seat at the table.

In Brussels, the open question remains whether the EU has a convincing strategy to persuade Washington that its involvement is essential to any lasting settlement.

When France's TF1 television on Monday asked whether he would give in to Donald Trump's demands to scrap a digital services tax on global tech giants, French President Emmanuel Macron replied: "no, because that's not how it works." 

"This ​digital tax, decided by Europeans, implemented by several ​countries, is part of our law," ⁠said Macron, adding, "It's not the United ​States that ⁠decides European ⁠law."

"We will have a respectful but firm discussion," Macron told the broadcaster, saying, "tariffs don't do anyone any good, especially tariffs between G7 countries."

US President Donald Trump on Monday said he would "have no choice" but to apply 100% tariffs on French wine if Paris refuses to bend to his will and eliminate its digital tax on American tech companies.

Trump, in an interview with the New York Post, said he delivered the warning to French President Emmanuel Macron directly, demanding Macron remove France's 3% tax on US tech giants or ‌face duties in ⁠the ⁠American market.

"I asked him not to charge American companies, and if they do, I have no choice but to charge a 100% tariff on all champagnes and all wines coming out ​of France," Trump told the tabloid. 

"All [Macron] has to do is get rid of ​the sales tax, and he wouldn’t have that kind of pressure," he added.

Neither White House ​nor Elysee ‌officials have commented further on Trump's threat.

French wine and spirits exporters called it bad news for their export-dependent industry as Trump continues to disrupt global trade relations with his tariffs.

Alcohol is among the EU's top exports to the US, accounting for some €9 billion ($10.5 billion) in business in 2024.

EU wines and spirits currently face ​a 15% import tariff in the US — a rate ⁠that Paris has been lobbying to reduce to zero since Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der ⁠Leyen agreed to a US-EU ​trade deal last summer.

France slapped a 3% levy on digital services revenues earned in the country back in 2019. 

The tariff applies only to companies with revenues in excess of €25 million in France and €750 million worldwide.

"This ​digital tax, decided by Europeans, implemented by several ​countries, is part of our law," ⁠French President Emmanuel Macron ​said ​in an interview on ​French TV ‌channel TF1, reacting to Trump's threat. "It's not the United ​States that ⁠decides on the Europeans' ⁠law."

The G7 summit is the big stage for French President Emmanuel Macron this year. The first guests have already arrived at the historic Hotel Royal in Evian, among them Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Brazil is not part of the exclusive G7 club, which includes France, the United States, Germany, the UK, Japan, Italy and Canada. But Macron has deliberately invited a number of key partners beyond the group, expanding the table for some meetings at this summit.

Red carpets, bright sunshine, a sweeping view of the Alps and the deep blue waters of Lake Geneva - the setting is picture-perfect. There is also a sense of relief: just hours before the summit, US President Donald Trump and Iran announced a framework agreement aimed at ending their conflict.

That deal is expected to dominate discussions in Evian, not least because of what it means for Europe. The focus will be on how European countries can support the agreement and contribute to stabilizing the region.

For Trump, the deal is a political success. The unpredictable guest of the summit could therefore arrive in a positive mood. European leaders will be hoping to use that momentum, with the aim of steering the US president's attention back to Ukraine.

How new peace talks between Russia and Ukraine can be launched, with the US and European allies working together, will be a key question. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to arrive in Evian on Tuesday morning, adding urgency to those discussions.

The elegant conference hotel itself is completely sealed off. Here, the leaders have the time and space to focus on major global challenges away from the public eye and political noise.

Around the Hotel Royal, security is at its highest level. Without proper clearance, there is no access. Checkpoints block roads within a radius of several kilometers.

For locals, daily life has come to a halt. "Everything is blocked," says one restaurant owner. Residents, he adds, are frustrated by constant controls and are largely staying at home.

The lakeside town of Evian-les-Bains, which French President Emmanuel Macron chose as the site of his last G7 summit as host, is nestled at the foot of the Alps at Lake Geneva.

It ⁠is a spa town in eastern France's Haute-Savoie region and located on the southern shore of Lake Geneva, directly across from Switzerland.

It has a ​population of just under 10,000.

Despite being such a small town, Evian's ​thermal springs, lakeside setting and Belle Epoque architecture have attracted visitors for centuries.

It was also here ​that the Evian ‌Accords ending France's war in Algeria were signed, and with that, the recognition of Algerian independence.

Evian-les-Bains is perhaps best known for the eponymous mineral ‌water brand sourced from its springs — which originate from rainwater and snowmelt naturally filtered through ‌glacial ​moraine and alpine rock layers. 

The Evian mineral water brand is owned by French company Danone, which produces some 6 million bottles per day.
 
Evian last hosted a G7 summit in 2003 — when the group included Russia and was known as the G8 — where leaders gathered in hopes of patching transatlantic relations frayed by the US invasion of Iraq.

As is often the case when world leaders gather for big summits — think World Economic Forum or G20 — this G7 is no different, with projectile-throwing protesters clashing with tear-gas firing police in nearby Geneva, Switzerland ahead of the meeting. 

You can read Natalie Mueller's story on what is expected to be days of clashes here: Police fire tear gas at anti-G7 protesters in Geneva

The war in Iran is set to overshadow this week's G7 summit.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced that a previously elusive "framework peace deal" with Iran had been agreed to, writing on social media: "Ships of the world, start your engines. Let the oil flow!"

That would be good news if true, but no details have been made public so far.

But both Tehran and Trump later said the strategic Strait of Hormuz will only reopen after the deal is signed in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday.

Washington and Tehran have been tightlipped about the fine print of the agreement , which reportedly includes two months of discussion on the future of Iran's nuclear program — which Trump previously said had been "obliterated."

Trump has taken flack from the G7's European leaders — French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as well as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer — for failing to consult them before making his decision to go to war with Iran.

In turn, Trump has publicly berated those same leaders for not being supportive of his "excursion."

This week's G7 will see these differences of opinion on full display.

Leaders from the G7 — which gathers some of the world's richest nations — are gathering in Evian-les-Baines, France, Monday to start a three-day summit that will be dominated by the wars in Ukraine and Iran.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been on the agenda for over four years now, with no end in sight, but the security and economic consequences of that war have been supplanted by those emanating from Iran, which the United States and Israel attacked on February 28. 

The nearly 15-week war has kept global markets in turmoil as Iran maintains a chokehold on the world's oil supplies by blockading the all-important Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly 20% of global supply normally flows. 

The situation has cut off access to oil, gas and fertilizer, driving prices for everything from food to household goods through the roof around the world. 

Beyond the leaders of Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, host Emmanuel Macron has also invited the heads of Egypt, Qatar, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates to attend the session. 

Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine on his first day back in office (January 20, 2025), but a lasting resolution to the conflict has so far eluded him.

While Iran is expected to lead the agenda on Monday, Tuesday has been earmarked for discussions on the situation in Ukraine and what this means for European security.

Other issues set to be discussed during the event include the sourcing of critical minerals as well as growing economic instability. Brazil, India, Kenya and South Korea have all been extended invitations to join in these conversations.

Good morning from the DW newsroom in Bonn, where we are just kicking off our coverage of this week's G7 summit in France.

Leaders from the world's Group of Seven (G7) top industrialized nations are gathering in Evian-les-Bains on Monday for a meeting scheduled to end on June 17.

The event, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, will see him and leaders from Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US discuss an international agenda set to be dominated by the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump, fresh from celebrating his 80th birthday, will arrive on Monday and is scheduled to meet with Macron one-on-one in the late afternoon (5:45 p.m. local time, 1545 GMT) before joining the others for a working dinner.

Ahead of the summit,  protests were held in nearby Geneva, Switzerland, amid heavy criticism from rights and advocacy groups over massive cuts to humanitarian aid by G7 countries in favor of boosting arms investments as AI begins to take more jobs and resources while the world's richest get richer?