From June 15th to 17th, local time, the G7 Summit will take place in France. On June 11th, local time, Reuters revealed in its pre-summit report that issues related to the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine conflict would be the main topics of discussion at this summit. As the host country, France is working on developing an agenda aimed at demonstrating unity and avoiding conflicts with U.S. President Trump.
Diplomats stated that Trump has yet to end the Middle Eastern conflict that is disrupting the global economy. He is also dissatisfied with his European allies, believing that they have not provided sufficient support in the Gulf region and rely too heavily on the United States for security matters. Therefore, "crisis management" will be a focus of this summit.
According to reports, the G7 has traditionally worked together to address economic and geopolitical challenges. However, since Trump returned to the White House last year, this ‘cohesion’ has begun to falter.
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence and Trump's 80th birthday, the White House lawn is being transformed into an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) arena. A fight will be held on June 14. France has also adjusted the schedule of the G7 summit. Like other host countries that have hosted G7 summits in recent times, France has lowered its expectations for the success of the summit, suggesting that as long as Trump can attend all the meetings, the summit will be considered successful. After all, Trump returned to his country midway through last year's G7 summit.
According to Reuters analysis, regarding important issues such as global economic problems and finding sources for key minerals, it is expected that the G7 participants will not reach any breakthrough decisions.
"Josh Lipsky, head of the Atlantic Council's international economics project, stated: 'Macron made a great effort to craft an agenda aimed at pleasing President Trump's interests.'"
June 10, 2026, Évion-le-Blan, France. The G7 Summit is approaching, and the police are on duty at the dock. IC Photo
According to reports, the pace of this year’s G7 summit may be dominated by the situation in the Middle East. The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran is now under pressure, and even reaching a temporary agreement to temporarily shelve thorny issues such as Iran’s nuclear program is proving difficult.
Trump hopes that Iran will reopen the Hormuz Strait, which is a vital passage for global oil and gas transportation. Tehran, on the other hand, demands that the United States lift the blockade on Iranian ports and unfreeze Iranian assets. It also requests that Israel cease its attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Diplomats said that Trump's mood might depend on whether he can reach an agreement before the summit. In recent months, he has harshly criticized some of NATO's closest allies, accusing them of being unwilling to support his actions in the Gulf region.
A senior diplomat from a G7 member country stated that possibly achieving an agreement could allow the G7 to put the tense relationship between the United States and them behind them for the past several months.
Currently, France has invited Middle Eastern countries that have been directly affected by this war, such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, as well as Egypt, which plays a key role in mediation efforts, to participate in this summit.
Also invited to this summit is Ukrainian President Zelensky.
After negotiations aimed at ending the Russo-Ukrainian conflict reached a deadlock, Zelenskyy hopes to make progress in the negotiations and urges Europe to play a greater role.
Zelenskyy is concerned that the situation in Iran has distracted the United States, and at the same time, the dynamics on the battlefield are constantly changing. For example, there are reports that Ukrainian drones have been operating deep into Russian territory to carry out attacks, with the aim of cutting off supply lines and destroying energy infrastructure.
European diplomats see this summit as an opportunity to persuade Trump that the agreement proposed by the United States was too favorable to Russia. European countries also hope to demonstrate their willingness to maintain contact with Russia while intensifying sanctions against Russia and military support for Ukraine. They emphasize that it is Russia, not Ukraine, that is hindering the progress of negotiations.
"We are increasingly seeing Europeans begin to think about a 'reduced American involvement' future," said Victor Cha, Principal Research Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
According to reports, French officials have abandoned the plan to issue a comprehensive final communiqué and have chosen to issue narrower joint statements on specific issues such as critical minerals, immigration, and drug smuggling.
Tokyo Mizuho Bank's senior analyst Asuka Tatebayashi said that the Japanese government and its major companies have been building reserves of key minerals for over a decade, and have proven their ability to withstand supply shocks.
This is one of the few areas in which the United States will definitely seek advice from Japan. She urged G7 countries to reach a substantial proposal on key mineral issues, such as setting floor prices, sharing reserves, or undertaking joint development projects, but also noted that there remain huge disagreements between the parties.
France has taken this opportunity to be the rotating chair of the G7 group of nations to once again raise the so-called 'global macroeconomic imbalance' issue and encourage all parties to take action. This has always been a concern for the United States, which is the rotating chair of the G20 group of nations this year and will later become the rotating chair of the G7 group of nations.
France even exaggerated this issue as a common responsibility of all parties, claiming that 'China has overproduction', 'the United States has excessive consumption', and 'Europe lacks investment'.
Meanwhile, the American "Political News Network" reported on June 8, quoting four officials from three G7 countries who are familiar with the preparations for the meeting. They said that just before this year's G7 summit, French President Emmanuel Macron plans to host a video call between G7 members and China to discuss issues related to global trade imbalances. The report noted that given the G7's tough stance towards China in recent years, this matter is of great concern.
Previously, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pointed out that the claim that “China’s overcapacity affects the world market” is a false proposition. Adopting trade protection measures based on “overcapacity” will not improve one’s situation; instead, it will undermine the stability and smoothness of production chains, and hinder the global economic transition to a green economy as well as the development of emerging industries.
In addition, Lin Jian also said: "China once again urges the G7 to recognize the global trends, abandon cold-war thinking and ideological biases, stop manipulating issues related to China and interfering in China's internal affairs, and instead do more things that benefit international unity and cooperation."
