Trump Rejects Statement From G7 Leaders On Ukraine-Russia War

After President Donald Trump left the Group of Seven summit early, the other six leaders failed to reach major agreements on the Russia-Ukraine War and the conflict between Israel and Iran, along with other top issues.

Host to this year’s G7, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, along with leaders from the U.K., Germany, Italy, France and Japan, welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the final session Tuesday.

“We need support from allies,” Zelensky said. “We are ready for the peace negotiations, unconditional ceasefire. I think it’s very important. But for this, we need pressure.”

The six leaders agreed to combat non-market policies that could harm global mineral access and to limit the downsides of artificial intelligence on the workforce and the environment while embracing the possible “technological revolution.”

With the goal of the summit to show unity on the top global concerns, no joint statements were made regarding the conflict in Ukraine. Zelensky was set to meet Trump while the other leaders attended the summit in Kananaskis, Canada, but that fell through when Trump left suddenly.

According to a senior Canadian official who attended the summit, the U.S. opposed a joint statement on Ukraine because it sought to promote its negotiations with Russia. They said it only became apparent on Monday that no joint statement would be made, despite other attendees suggesting that there was no consensus agreement on the table.

Without Trump in attendance, the other leaders held an in-depth session on Ukraine but did not reach a unanimous decision. Other individual leaders reaffirmed their support for Zelenskyy individually.

The summit’s impact was dampened by the escalation surrounding Iran’s nuclear program and the possible escalation following Israel’s aerial attacks and Iran’s subsequent response.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, warned global powers who are pushing for an Iranian regime change that it could destabilize the greater Middle East.

“I believe the greatest mistake today would be to pursue regime change in Iran through military means, as that would lead to chaos,” Macron said.

Before Trump left the summit, the seven leaders joined in a statement calling for Iran to “never have a nuclear weapon” and calling for a “de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.” Reaching unanimity, even on a watered-down statement, was a minor mark of success at this summit.

Macron congratulated Carney on the success of the meeting and keeping the organization unified.

“We shouldn’t ask the Canadian presidency to resolve every issue on earth today. That would be unfair,” said Macron, who will host the G7 next year.

Carney defended Trump’s early departure, blaming the war in the Middle East rather than the summit activities.

“There was no problem,” Carney said. “Mr. Trump felt it was better to be in Washington, and I can understand that.”

Carney said Canada would impose individual economic sanctions on Russia and issue a statement offering “unwavering support for a secure and sovereign Ukraine.” When asked if the U.S. was the reason a joint statement was not made about Ukraine, Carney said he talked to Trump about the language when preparing his own country’s statement.

While Trump’s departure from the summit added even more drama to a world where several wars could be escalating, he did not consider it a significant event.

“We did everything I had to do at the G7,” Trump said while returning to Washington. 

Members of the Trump administration are continuing discussions in Canada about tariffs, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was at the summit on Tuesday with Zelenskyy. 

Trump’s belief that Russia was not the clear aggressor in the war isolated him from the other G7 leaders. Trump defended his decision not to join new sanctions on Russia, saying, “When I sanction a country, that costs the U.S. a lot of money, a tremendous amount of money.”