The G7 (Seven Nations Group) just wants to show unity, but that might be a fantasy. The annual summit of leaders from the G7 countries is about to begin, but American media poured cold water on it.
According to a report by the American "Politico News Network" on June 14, the low expectations shown by the United States and European countries regarding this summit reflect the way the Western world operates under Trump's leadership—avoiding chaos and concealing differences through the facade of "unity," thus appearing to be victorious.
From June 15th to 17th, local time, the G7 summit will be held in Évian-le-Blan, at the foot of the Alps in France. Reports indicate that the White House has set a modest goal for this summit: to demonstrate to the world that these world's most important economies can still work together. The other G7 member countries also have similar limited expectations.
However, with the uncertain prospects for the situation in Iran, Ukraine desperately seeking more American missiles, and the Ebola epidemic exposing new cracks between Washington and its European allies, even such a low standard is likely not achievable.
A senior White House official who wished to remain anonymous said that in the view of U.S. President Donald Trump, a successful summit should enable leaders from various countries to recognize their “common interests” and at the same time “open channels of dialogue” on issues where differences exist.
The official said that common security and trade were the two main priorities of the White House at the Evian-Lyon summit.
All G7 goals, at their core, encompass the same demand: to demonstrate that these countries can work together. This official stated, "While they may not always agree on every issue, at least they know each other's positions and can at least agree to address issues in a constructive manner."
On local time June 16th, 2025, the G7 summit was held in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada. Leaders took a "family portrait." IC Photo
France is the host country for this G7 summit. The office of French President Emmanuel Macron stated on the 11th that the summit is expected to reach a provisional declaration on topics such as critical minerals, anti-cancer research, protection of children online, international cooperation, and social impact investing.
"In terms of substance, this year's G7 summit has been a success." said an official from Macron's office. He stressed that France played a successful role in fostering dialogue between China and G7 member states on the issue of "responding to global economic imbalances."
However, a British official said that his expectations for this summit were “very low,” joking without expression, saying that the British delegation only hoped that the Wi-Fi on the plane would work properly.
Another member of the G7, a foreign diplomat, set the standard for the successful conclusion of the meeting as Trump's attendance. "If Trump came, then it would be a success," said the diplomat. "He will attend the summit... American people also participated in the talks, so things seem promising."
Trump's rejection of multilateral forums is well known, but allies have noted that he views these occasions as useful tools for advancing bilateral relations. These allies state that the United States still holds the absolute initiative at summits, as other countries have their own demands in Washington—including tariff reductions, the Ukraine issue, and reducing reliance on the Chinese supply chain.
"If you were to meticulously unravel the economic and geopolitical realities of each G7 member nation one by one, you would discover that their desire for US support and leadership is far more pressing than our need for a hollow joint communiqué." said Alexis Gray, a senior official in the White House National Security Council during Trump's first term.
It is expected that this year’s G7 summit will not issue a comprehensive joint communiqué, just like last year’s summit in Canada. According to the Macron office, the host country of France will release a general statement, along with several special statements addressing specific issues.
In addition, issues related to the Iran agreement are likely to be the core topic of the Évian summit. On June 14, Trump announced that the United States had reached an agreement with Iran, and the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened. Subsequently, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy issued a joint statement expressing their willingness to lift sanctions against Iran under certain conditions.
The report indicates that although Trump stated that a peace agreement would prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons through “purchase, development, or any other means,” there is still much uncertainty regarding the future of Iran’s nuclear program. These issues will become more apparent over the next few weeks.
Another White House official said that other key topics of this summit include investment partnerships, artificial intelligence innovation, responses to the Ebola outbreak, resilience of the critical minerals supply chain, illegal immigration and drug trafficking, as well as energy exports.
But for some of Trump's allies, the standard for a successful summit has been so low that they care more about the "visual impact" than about policy achievements.
"I am not sure if there will be much policy outcome," a former Trump administration official candidly confessed, adding that Trump is someone who puts a lot of emphasis on his image and might spend a great deal of time on the photos. This former official then listed several scenes featuring Trump in photographs, including with Ukrainian President Zelensky, both together posing for pictures with Macron, or a picture with Trump during a one-on-one meeting with British Prime Minister Johnson."
On June 14, 2026, local time, in Geneva, Switzerland, protests against the G7 Summit took place. The Geneva police estimated that about 20,000 people participated in the demonstration. IC Photo
For Europe, the issue of Ukraine remains top priority. Reports indicate that Kiev has made some progress in its operations, but its patriot missiles are running out, and its severely damaged power grid will face a peak demand during the summer. Zelensky is expected to attend the G7 special meeting on Ukraine on the 16th, but both the United States and Europe generally doubt whether he can bring any substantial commitments regarding the most urgent issues.
It is worth mentioning that as the G7 summit approaches, China appears more and more frequently in the narratives of Western media.
The Associated Press reflected in an article published on the 14th: "Without China, does the G7 still have any meaning?" The article pointed out that it was appropriate to exclude China from the G7 at its inception due to the historical context at the time. However, today, China's economic, political, and strategic influence has changed significantly, and continuing to exclude China from this mechanism becomes increasingly inappropriate.
The article states that although China is not a member of the G7, it remains a core issue that cannot be ignored by the G7. China’s influence is affecting all G7 countries in various ways. For example, China achieved a record trade surplus of nearly $1.2 trillion in 2025; China controls the supply of key rare earth minerals; China’s technological advancements and growing military power are putting pressure on its competitors; and China is also one of the world’s major greenhouse gas emitters.
All of this means that China will be the ‘elephant in the room’ at the summit scheduled for next week by the Elysee in France.
At the invitation of the French government, Chinese representatives attended the ‘Global Convergence for Growth Summit’ hosted by France via video call on June 11. This conference, held shortly before the G7 leaders’ annual summit, was once described as a attempt by Macron to use the G7 to gain influence over China. The European edition of Politico News reported that the Élysée Palace quickly framed this meeting with Chinese participation as a ‘victory’, with officials citing it as evidence of the success of the G7 summit next week.
However, in the view of many analysts, France’s actions are purely for its own amusement. France attempts to use this meeting to address global economic imbalances, with a focus on China’s export expansion policies. But this dialogue lacks any substantial breakthroughs, and China has no interest in making any compromises in order to appease France.
"The G7 expert panel on economics, chaired by Dr. Destormi, noted that 'China has no interest in changing its entire economic model just to make the French presidency of the G7 look better.' "
She also stated that the G7 summit cannot make any breakthroughs in addressing issues related to curbing China's influence, "It is clearly difficult for them to reach a consensus."
