G7 leaders pressure Russia with sanctions as Trump shifts tone on Ukraine

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 18 June 2026 3:03 AM

Leaders of the Group of Seven have agreed to intensify economic pressure on Russia, sensing a shift in US President Donald Trump’s approach toward the Ukraine conflict, as Western nations struggle to find a diplomatic path to end the hostilities.

The three-day summit in the French town of Évian focused heavily on Trump’s deal with Iran and efforts to coerce Moscow into peace negotiations through ramped-up sanctions.

Leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States signed a final statement pledging to “increase the pressure on the Russian war economy” by strengthening sanctions, including on Moscow’s fossil fuel revenues.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the agreement as a “success” after tough negotiations. French President Emmanuel Macron hailed a “very deep change in the US approach,” claiming Trump had finally understood that Russia’s leadership was not interested in peace.

“President Trump, like all of us, simply acknowledged that there was no serious willingness on Russia’s part today to discuss peace,” Macron said.

Trump, who attended the summit alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, took a firmer line against Moscow, expressing impatience over the casualty toll on both sides and insisting that Russia must seek a deal.

“They both want to do something, they just don’t know how to do it,” Trump said of Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

G7 leaders also agreed to grant licenses for Ukraine-based companies to produce long-range missiles and air defence systems, a move that risks further escalating the conflict.

European officials described the agreement as a “major breakthrough,” though previous rounds of sanctions have failed to bring Moscow to the negotiating table.

Despite the G7’s show of unity, Russia has repeatedly stated that it remains open to negotiations based on its own security concerns, which Western powers have consistently ignored.

Moscow has maintained that the conflict in Ukraine is a direct consequence of NATO’s eastward expansion and Kiev’s refusal to implement the Minsk agreements.