Macron: Trump urges G7 to take tougher stance so Ukraine returns occupied territories
French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that US President Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the G7 summit held on June 15–17 in Évian-les-Bains, France, put forward an initiative to take a tougher stance so that Ukraine could recover its currently occupied territories.
At a press conference following the summit on Wednesday, Macron noted that the approved text of the final G7 declaration recognizes the integrity of Ukrainian territory. He emphasized that all seven leaders supported the position that it is not up to them to decide where the discussion regarding territories begins. The French president remarked that if they were in Ukraine's position, they would not tolerate anyone else making this decision for them, which is why the leaders backed the principle that Ukrainians themselves will discuss their territory. At the same time, he stressed that President Trump also stated very clearly that they need to take a much tougher stance and that the territory must return to Ukraine. Macron agreed with this view, confirming that the G7 supports the integrity of Ukrainian territory.
According to him, the Russian side is taking no steps toward ending the war. Macron mentioned that he was even prepared for President Putin to come to the summit to discuss the issues, but he did not arrive. In this regard, President Trump, like all the other leaders, simply took note of the fact that today there is no serious desire for peace on the part of Russia.
He also noted that everyone present listened with great respect to the overview of the situation described by President Zelenskyy, and everyone saw that Ukraine is resisting much better than people expected, while Russia finds itself in a difficult situation.
Macron emphasized that all participants stated they are going to increase their support for Ukraine and ramp up pressure on Russia. He called this a real shift compared to recent months, noting that this change came not from the European side, but from the members of the G7 and all those called upon to support Ukraine.
The French President added that the summit demonstrated a deep shift in approach, as well as a desire and willingness on the part of the United States to cooperate with Europeans to support Ukraine. This shared will to move forward applies both to military support for defense systems and long-range capabilities, which he described as a key fact.
Macron remarked that he has always trusted President Trump and spoke frankly to him when they had disagreements, but when Trump made a commitment, he always did what he promised. In Macron's view, the current commitments made by the United States are very important.
He underlined that compared to the previous G7 meeting a year ago, where the position was completely different, the leaders managed to change everything. Europeans, together with other partners—Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Korea–created a coalition ready to offer security guarantees. According to Macron, they have been by Ukraine's side the entire time, and Ukrainians have achieved good results, while the United States, having assessed the current situation and witnessed Russia's refusal to engage in a sincere discussion, realized the need to stand together. This allowed for all the discussions held at the summit and with President Zelenskyy, ultimately leading to a re-synchronization and cooperation from all sides in their approach to Ukraine and in the decisions made, which are reflected in the joint text.
The French President also confirmed that the G7 participants reached an agreement to strengthen sanctions against the Russian Federation. In conclusion, Macron summarized that they support full integrity for Ukraine and strongly back sanctions against Russia.