G7 Allies Aim for Ukraine Atop Agenda  06/16 06:18

   U.S. allies at the Group of Seven summit of major industrialized nations 
worked Tuesday to push the war in Ukraine back up the agenda of President 
Donald Trump after more than four years of fighting sparked by Russia's 
full-scale invasion.

   EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) -- U.S. allies at the Group of Seven summit of 
major industrialized nations worked Tuesday to push the war in Ukraine back up 
the agenda of President Donald Trump after more than four years of fighting 
sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion.

   The Iran conflict has in recent weeks overshadowed the war in Ukraine that 
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched. Host President Emmanuel Macron of 
France said he'll seek to persuade Trump to continue supporting Ukraine and 
increase pressure on Russia to help reach a peace agreement.

   As the U.S. under Trump has cut back aid to Ukraine, France and its European 
allies are now the biggest providers of military and financial support to Kyiv.

   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined G7 leaders for a morning 
working session but talks wrapped quickly, as leaders gathered for just 75 
minutes, according to the French G7 presidency.

   The Ukraine talks came on the heels of Trump's announcement of an agreement 
to end the 3 1/2-month-old U.S. war against Iran. Trump said Tuesday he'll be 
meeting one-on-one with Zelenskyy.

   Trump said he wants to focus on Ukraine now, saying Iran will soon be "back 
in the rearview mirror." He downplayed the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on 
the U.S. but lamented the death toll.

   "The whole thing is ridiculous," Trump said. "So, yeah, I'm going to do 
whatever I can."

   Meanwhile, the U.K. announced a new set of sanctions targeting the " shadow 
fleet " Russia uses to ship oil and gas, and the finance networks used by 
Moscow to evade Western sanctions. The ships targeted include several vessels 
recently purchased by Russia to transport liquefied natural gas from its 
sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project.

   Last weekend, U.K. troops seized a Russian shadow fleet vessel in the 
English Channel for the first time.

   Trump has been frustrated by a lack of movement toward Ukraine-Russia 
resolution

   Hours before the summit began, Russia fired hundreds of drones and dozens of 
missiles at Ukraine's biggest cities in a barrage that killed 11 people and set 
fire to a religious landmark.

   The attacks on Ukraine's biggest cities came after Zelenskyy and Putin spoke 
separately by phone with Trump on Sunday, the U.S. leader's 80th birthday. The 
exchange suggests Washington hasn't given up on its diplomatic efforts to stop 
the fighting that followed Moscow's all-out invasion of its neighbor in 2022.

   While campaigning in 2024 for a return to the White House, Trump claimed he 
could end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office. He has since 
acknowledged it has proved much harder than he initially thought.

   Ukraine on Monday officially started European Union membership negotiations, 
launching a process that will require its government to commit to years of 
political reforms even as it fights the Russian invasion.

   Ukraine sees EU membership as a security guarantee for a stable future once 
the war ends. Its best guarantee would be membership in the NATO military 
alliance, but the Trump administration insists that cannot happen, and others 
are wary of it joining while the war continues.

   Iran war has been a flashpoint between Trump and European leaders

   The U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal is getting plenty of attention at Tuesday's 
sessions. Trump held one-on-one talks with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin 
Hamad al-Thani, and will meet with United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin 
Zayed Al Nahyan later. The Gulf nations are not part of the G7, but Macron 
extended invitations to the leaders to take part in the summit at a fraught 
moment for the region.

   Trump expressed frustration over Israel's continued hostilities with the 
Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon, telling reporters he's "not happy 
with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and with Hezbollah."

   "They should have been able to deal with them faster," Trump added about 
Israeli operations to target Hezbollah."It just goes on forever. And when that 
happens, it throws a negative light on the big deal. And that's the deal with 
Iran."

   G7 leaders also convened a working lunch to discuss the situation in the 
Middle East, with conversation expected to focus on the path ahead after the 
U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement.

   In recent months, Trump has had sharp disagreements with Macron, British 
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime 
Minister Giorgia Meloni over his failure to consult them before the decision to 
go to war in Iran. Trump has threatened reprisals, including drawing down U.S. 
troops in all four countries, all NATO members, for their lack of support.

   Despite those disagreements, U.S. allies seek rapid progress that could ease 
the economic impact of rising oil prices caused by the blockade of the Strait 
of Hormuz.

   Macron said France and other Western partners are "ready to take action very 
quickly" to help reopen the strait peacefully. France and the U.K. have 
championed a mission to restore maritime security in the strait as soon as 
conditions allow.

   The G7 comprises France, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan 
and the United Kingdom. Other guest nations at this summit, including Brazil, 
India, Kenya and South Korea, were invited to participate in some discussions.