Trump and allies spar over Iran while scrambling to revive Ukraine push at Évian G7

ÉVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (MNTV) – Leaders of the world’s major industrialized democracies pressed into the second day of their annual summit on Tuesday, with the war in Ukraine and a fragile U.S.-Iran agreement dominating talks in this Alpine spa town on the shores of Lake Geneva.

This is the second time Évian has hosted the gathering, having held the G8 summit in 2003.

The meeting, chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron as France holds the rotating G7 presidency, is the first in-person summit since the U.S.-Iran war erupted roughly 15 weeks ago.

According to ABC News, this marks President Donald Trump’s fifth time attending the conference in person, and he arrived Monday carrying a freshly minted Iran agreement.

That deal loomed large over the opening day.

Trump has said the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for much of the world’s oil — would reopen completely and toll-free on Friday, when a formal agreement is set to be signed in Geneva.

Al Jazeera also reported that the framework, digitally signed Monday, is expected to open a roughly 60-day window for more complex negotiations covering Iran’s enriched uranium and the lifting of sanctions.

Per CNN, Trump told reporters the next phase would be “easier” than the first and insisted the U.S. wouldn’t be putting money into Iran — an apparent effort to calm allies’ worries.

Markets moved fast on the news.

According to NBC News, the prospect of restored shipping sent stocks surging and oil prices tumbling, though industry figures cautioned it could take weeks for traffic to resume amid doubts about the deal’s durability.

By Tuesday, the focus among Trump’s counterparts had shifted. According to NPR, U.S. allies worked to push Ukraine back up the agenda after more than four years of war sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion, a conflict recently overshadowed by events in the Gulf.

The Hill reported that Trump signaled openness, saying Iran would soon be “back in the rearview mirror” so attention could turn to Ukraine.

According to ABC affiliate ABC7, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined a morning working session that wrapped up in about 75 minutes.

ABC7, citing a French diplomat speaking anonymously, reported that the leaders — Trump included — agreed to ratchet up pressure on Russia, particularly through sanctions aimed at its oil and gas sectors.

CNN reported that Zelenskyy, who made air defense a priority of his trip, said he raised the need for licenses to produce missiles directly with Trump and felt the response was positive.

Beneath the diplomacy, friction was evident. According to NPR, Trump has clashed in recent months with Macron, Britain’s Keir Starmer, Germany’s Friedrich Merz and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni over his decision to go to war with Iran without consulting them, even threatening to draw down U.S. troops in their countries.

NBC News reported that an EU official described Tuesday’s Trump-Macron bilateral as somewhat tense and said the U.S. president brushed off European offers of help on Iran.

There were lighter moments too: according to NBC News, Merz presented Trump with a German national team jersey bearing the number 47.

On the Strait, Macron struck a cooperative note. Per NPR, France and other Western partners stand ready to act quickly to help reopen the waterway peacefully, with France and the U.K. backing a maritime security mission once conditions allow.

Meanwhile, according to Euronews, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told European lawmakers the bloc rejects any measures that would add costs to shipping through Hormuz.

Macron has also brought guests beyond the core seven into the room, with leaders from countries including Brazil, India and South Korea taking part in sessions.

The summit continues through Wednesday.