Ukraine-focused session to be held at G7 summit attended by Zelenskyy; support, peace efforts on agenda
A separate session dedicated to Ukraine will be held as part of the G7 summit, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expected to attend. The discussion will focus on continued support for Ukraine amid Russia's war and efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement.
A senior European diplomat said this to reporters in Brussels on Friday while outlining the agenda of the meeting, which will be attended on behalf of the European Union by European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The G7 summit will take place in Evian, France, on June 15-17 under France's presidency. The session dedicated to Ukraine is scheduled for Tuesday, June 16.
The diplomat said the organizers were very pleased that there would be a session with President Zelenskyy specifically on Ukraine, as it would be another moment at the summit when coordination among G7 leaders would be crucial.
He said Russia's war against Ukraine had already lasted longer than the First World War. According to him, everyone aimed to achieve peace, but it had to be a sustainable and lasting peace. He said this was President Zelenskyy's goal and that the partners supported it.
Another European diplomat said the discussion would focus on how to continue supporting Ukraine in its transition toward strong security and lasting peace in Europe.
According to him, Europeans can play a more significant role beyond resources, meaning financial and military support, which is already being provided. He said the discussion would be important in terms of what role Europeans could play beyond what they are already doing and how the United States would fit into this picture.
The diplomat also said he believed the leaders would discuss peace talks. He noted that, as the war had entered its fifth year, it was natural that there was strong interest in peace negotiations. In his view, the problem was not a lack of willingness on Ukraine's part, but the fact that Russia had still shown no interest in real negotiations capable of producing results.
The source noted that Russia was now in a more difficult situation than before. He said Europe, Ukraine and the United States were all open to negotiations, provided they led to sustainable and secure peace in the long term. He added that Europe would naturally be part of such negotiations, as Ukraine was part of Europe and the issue concerned the European security architecture.
The senior European diplomat also said that, in future negotiations, Europe would speak first and foremost about Ukraine. At the same time, he stressed that Ukraine itself had to lead the negotiations. He said Europe was ready to continue providing support, but the security of the continent would affect everyone, and all participants, including Europeans and the European Union in particular, would have interests to defend. Therefore, he said, it was important to have the means and channels to protect those interests.
The diplomat said the leaders would certainly discuss how to move toward substantive peace negotiations.
Another diplomat added that the focus now had to be on the path toward ending the war, which should go through substantive negotiations. He said there was a process for this, but the partners needed to coordinate their messaging, as all sides would inevitably have to communicate through the relevant diplomatic channels. As far as the EU was concerned, he said, its messaging was clearly coordinated.
According to him, it is now important at the G7 level, together with the United States, to coordinate approaches, particularly among leaders. He said this would be one of the important discussions at the upcoming summit.