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Report nowAt the G7 summit in Évian, high hopes clash with major differences. The key question is: To what extent will Donald Trump be able to set the agenda? Here are the most important questions and answers.
What can be done about the economic fallout from the Iran conflict? Heads of state and government from economically powerful democracies are gathering on Lake Geneva. But the focus will be on the U.S. president: After all, Donald Trump has just reached another agreement with Iran.
Will the G7 meeting proceed harmoniously or at least yield results? One shouldn’t be overly optimistic. Or as the Italian newspaper “La Stampa” comments: “The upcoming G7 summit promises to resemble less a summit among allies than a failed class reunion: Everyone pretends to be a responsible adult. Until U.S. President Donald Trump shows up [...]”
French President Emmanuel Macron, as host, welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Also seated at the table are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.
However, the summit is not intended to be merely a gathering of wealthy industrialized nations, but also aims to include some countries that are gaining increasing influence on issues such as Ukraine, trade, migration, and climate policy. The guest list therefore also includes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and representatives from Brazil, South Korea, Egypt, and Kenya.
On the way to Évian: U.S. President Donald Trump is greeted at Geneva Airport by Swiss President Guy Parmelin.
KEYSTONE
They will rarely experience such close proximity as in Évian: the heads of state and government are all staying under one roof. The luxury Hôtel Royal is hosting a summit of this informal group of world leaders for the second time.
French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. President Donald Trump, Friedrich Merz, and all the others won’t have far to go should they want to organize spontaneous small-group meetings on the sidelines of the summit. If hunger strikes after long meetings, room service offers a wide selection ranging from caviar canapés to burgers with fries, which should please Trump, a self-proclaimed fast-food lover.
The luxury hotel has been preparing for the G7 summit for about a year. With such a high concentration of powerful politicians in a small area, the security measures are immense. About 20,000 French and Swiss security forces and soldiers are on duty in the region. Both the lake and the airspace are being heavily secured.
After years of tariff threats, diplomatic turmoil, and public confrontations, the G7 leaders have now realized that Trump does not pose a threat to the international order. Rather, he is an integral part of it.
They no longer pander to Trump, but are adjusting to the fact that the U.S. is no longer a predictable partner—without risking an open break with Trump. For the “Washington Post,” the summit is therefore also a barometer of how America’s partners are coping with increasingly unpredictable U.S. diplomacy.
To ensure the U.S. president would even show up, the entire summit had already been postponed by one day in advance. For Donald Trump, his 80th birthday—complete with bloody UFC celebrations in Washington—took priority.
In addition, Emmanuel Macron has invited Trump to a gala dinner at the Palace of Versailles. There, the two presidents plan to toast U.S. independence against a fitting (and glamorous) backdrop: It was in Versailles in 1783 that the treaties ending the US War of Independence against Great Britain were signed: London granted the 13 colonies state sovereignty.
It is not expected that Donald Trump, a lover of gold and pomp, will leave early as he did last year. The dinner at Versailles is scheduled to take place only after the G7 summit has concluded.
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Host France actually wanted to focus on the topic of economic security. Secure supply chains, critical raw materials, China’s economic influence, rules for new technologies and AI—there is plenty to discuss.
But global politics has thrown a wrench in Macron’s plans: For starters, the Iran deal is likely to set the tone for the summit. Donald Trump announced the agreement just hours before his departure for Évian and will want to be celebrated for it.
The agreement is likely to be a topic of discussion as early as Monday’s dinner, and on Tuesday it will officially be on the summit’s agenda. Regional powers Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are also expected to join as G7 guests.
The Iran breakthrough offers an opportunity for transatlantic relations. In the event of an end to the war, the Europeans had already prepared for a military mission in the Strait of Hormuz to secure the vital trade route during a summit in Paris in April, together with other allies. Now, especially ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara in July, there is a chance that the transatlantic partners will move a little closer together again.
If this works out in Évian, it could also have a positive impact on another diplomatic process that has recently stalled: efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Until now, the U.S. has been regarded as the sole mediator in the conflict. Recently, however, Trump has been primarily preoccupied with his own war in Iran and seemed to have lost interest in Ukraine.
There are not expected to be any major final statements summarizing all the results. The aim is to avoid agonizing wrangling over individual phrases and to sidestep the risk that Trump might ultimately pull out entirely again. He has previously withdrawn from a G7 final statement on the flight home from a summit.
However, there will be statements on individual topics. Where agreement cannot be reached, the French presidency has the option of simply summarizing the state of the discussions (Chair’s Summary).
With agency material.
