G-7 minus Trump rallies behind Ukraine, but US blocks call to pressure Russia

KANANASKIS, Canada - Group of Seven (G-7) leaders minus US President Donald Trump on June 17 vowed greater support for Ukraine, but the US blocked a joint call to pressure Russia, which is ramping up attacks on its neighbour.

The US President had been due to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom he has had a volatile relationship, at the G-7 summit in Canada, but Mr Trump

flew back to the US

on June 16 over the Israel-Iran conflict.

Mr Zelensky met the other leaders at a remote lodge in the Canadian Rockies hours after Russia hit Kyiv with one of the worst bombardments since it invaded the country in February 2022,

killing at least 16 people

in the capital.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed Mr Zelensky and announced C$2 billion (S$1.88 billion) worth of military support, including drones and helicopters, for Ukraine.

“This underscores the importance of standing in total solidarity with Ukraine,” Mr Carney told him, calling for “maximum pressure against Russia”.

But the G-7 summit was unable to issue a joint statement on Ukraine as “the Americans wanted to water it down”, a Canadian official said on condition of anonymity.

The US objected to language condemning Russia, saying it wanted to preserve its role as a mediator with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the official said.

“That is not the position that we take, and the other six countries which have also agreed to put strong language in that declaration,” she said.

Mr Carney will instead put out a statement on Ukraine as chair of the summit rather than from all the leaders, the official said.

In Washington, the State Department separately condemned the Russian strikes and offered condolences to the victims’ families.

US waits on pressure

Mr Carney also joined Britain in tightening sanctions on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of ships used to circumvent international sanctions on its oil sales.

“These sanctions strike right at the heart of Putin’s war machine, choking off his ability to continue his barbaric war in Ukraine,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.

US lawmakers have drafted a package of new sanctions on Russia but Mr Trump has been hesitant to give his support, saying he wants to preserve relations with Mr Putin, whom he spoke to by telephone on the eve of the G-7 summit.

Mr Trump infamously berated Mr Zelensky

in the Oval Office on Feb 28, saying he was not grateful enough for US aid, but has since voiced disappointment that Mr Putin has rebuffed a US proposal for at least a temporary ceasefire.

Mr Zelensky, his voice choked with emotion, told Mr Carney that the latest Russian attack was a “big tragedy” and it showed the need for allies’ support – and made clear that he still backed Trump-led calls for negotiations.

“It’s important for our soldiers to be strong in the battlefield, to stay strong until Russia will be ready for the peace negotiations,” Mr Zelensky said.

“We are ready for the peace negotiation – unconditional ceasefire. For this we need pressure.”

French President Emmanuel Macron accused his Russian counterpart of exploiting global focus on the Middle East to carry out the deadly attack.

“It shows the complete cynicism of President Putin,” Mr Macron told reporters at the summit.

Tough trade talks

The G-7 – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US – was holding its first summit since the return to power of Mr Trump, who openly questions longstanding US alliances.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained to represent the US at the summit, where discussions have also concentrated on Mr Trump’s attempts to radically overhaul the world’s trading system.

Mr Trump has vowed to impose sweeping tariffs on friends and foes alike on July 9, although he has postponed them once.

The US President, speaking to reporters on his way back from the summit, complained that the European Union was not yet offering a “fair deal” on trade.

“We’re either going to make a good deal or they’ll just pay whatever we say they will pay,” he said.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she still hoped for a negotiated solution, and that talks were “intense and demanding”.

Mr Trump’s negotiators have already sealed a deal with Britain and, outside of the G-7, reached an agreement to lower tariffs with rival China.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that he had “frank” discussions with Mr Trump on June 16, but made clear the importance of car exports to the world’s second-largest developed economy. REUTERS