French President Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, were caught on hot mic discussing US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit
Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky were caught on hot mic discussing Donald Trump as they walked the grounds of the Hotel Royal at the G7 summit.
The remarks were made as the French president greeted his Ukrainian counterpart, who joined the Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, for a morning working session on Tuesday. “Yesterday, we had a difficult discussion in front of the camera.” Macron said of a meeting with Donald Trump regarding the war in Ukraine.
Macron is also heard urging Zelensky to stay longer at the three-day summit, to which the Ukrainian president replies that he is scheduled to visit Brussels the next day to meet European Union leaders.
Macron also asks whether Zelensky has a “bilateral [unintelligible] being organised'”, to which Zelensky replies: “With President Trump?” The two leaders then speak in hushed tones for about 20 seconds before Macron is heard saying: “OK, I will arrange that,” according to audio from their discussion.
Tuesday’s talks with Zelensky wrapped quickly, after just 75 minutes. Zelensky said Ukraine is serious about peace while Russia toys with world leaders. “The entire ‘Seven’ supports Ukraine unanimously today,” he said.
Zelensky added that G7 leaders supported Ukraine’s need for more Patriot missiles and discussed how to increase production through licensing agreements. Patriot missiles can be used to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine’s power grid and cities.
According to a French diplomat familiar with the talks, G7 leaders, including Trump, agreed to ramp up pressure on Russia, notably through sanctions targeting its oil and natural gas sectors, The Associated Press reports.
Since Trump cut back US aid to Ukraine, France and other European allies have become the biggest providers of military and financial support to Kyiv.
During the summit, G7 leaders have held challenging discussions about ending Russia’s war in Ukraine and are expected to address the Middle East crisis.
Switzerland’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that a signing ceremony for a deal between the US and Iran will take place on Friday at the Bürgenstock resort near the city of Lucerne.
The US and Iran have reached an initial agreement that would extend their fragile ceasefire and lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
However, significant challenges remain to ending the war, including whether Israel will continue its offensive in Lebanon, where Israeli strikes have killed 3,826 people since March 2, the Lebanese Ministry of Health says.
