G7 leaders back Ukraine, plan greater pressure on Russia

G7 leaders said on Wednesday (June 17, 2026) they stand united to support Ukraine, including its territorial ‌integrity, and agreed to increase sanctions on Russia, in a statement that underscores Kyiv’s growing ​leverage as it seeks peace talks with Moscow.

Also read | Moving from war to deal in a deeply divided region

The unity of the joint statement from the June ⁠15-17 G7 summit in the French lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains was notable as U.S. President Donald Trump‘s administration has at times been hard to bring on board, particularly on the thorny issue of how to end the Ukraine war.

It followed what Mr. Trump called a “very good” meeting ‌with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other G7 leaders on Tuesday (June 16, 2026), sparking optimism that a peace deal could be struck. Mr. Zelenskyy said he could meet Mr. Trump again on Wednesday (June 17, 2026). It also reflects how Ukraine has ‌strengthened its position after successful drone incursions weakened Russia’s hand.

U.S.-Iran peace deal: what we know so far?

The G7 leaders also welcomed the preliminary peace deal between ‌the ⁠United States and Iran, which Mr. Trump signed on the eve of the summit, and said they ⁠are ready to contribute to its implementation. They added they will make efforts to diversify energy supply routes to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz and increase energy stocks.

On Wednesday (June 17, 2026), in a central theme of France’s G7 Presidency, leaders will turn their attention to critical minerals and global economic imbalances. France ​is pushing partners to agree a statement on ‌critical minerals that could include measures to help the West reduce its reliance on China and shield investors from counter-measures and dumping, diplomats said.

G7 leaders meet in France after U.S. and Iran declare agreement to end war

China spooked the global economy last year when some industries nearly ground to a halt after Beijing imposed export curbs on permanent magnets made of rare earths- an episode which highlighted how reliant Western supply chains ‌in the energy, defence and technology sectors are on these goods. “We are negotiating texts that are significant ​on critical minerals and, as a consequence, on economic sovereignty,” a French Presidency official said ahead of the summit.

Measures under discussion in recent months have included price supports, market standards, subsidies and guaranteedp urchases, ⁠as well as means to scale up private investment in critical mineral supply chains outside China. However, any measures announced at the G7 are likely to be first steps.

Over-reliance on China

The 2025 restrictions were the latest in Beijing’s gradual tightening of ‌its niche material and battery metal exports. It has also curbed American companies’ access to tungsten and antimony, among others.

Western powers are racing to secure offtake from mines and build up processing and recycling capacity, but it will take
years to dent China’s dominant position, which was decades in the making. The United States proposed in early 2026 a trading bloc for critical minerals. However, countries are at odds over how this bloc could operate, especially in the context of the White House’s “America First” agenda.

Economic Imbalances

G7 leaders will also discuss how to rebalance global trade and address “predatory competition”, mainly by China. France summarizes the ‌imbalances as: China produces too much, the U.S. consumes too much and the Europeans invest too little. There’s growing alarm in Europe at China’s ​record trade surplus and its move up the value chain, in what analysts describe as a “second China shock” following its dominance of low-value industries in the 2000s.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron sought to engage ⁠China ahead of the summit in a last-ditch effort at cooperation. Beijing rejects European Union (EU) claims of unfair subsidies and has repeatedly vowed “strong” countermeasures ⁠to the EU’s proposed “Buy European” and revised tech sovereignty rules.

EU leaders will separately debate tougher and a more systematic use of trade defence measures against China’s surging imports at a summit in Brussels on Thursday (June 18, 2026). The EU ‌last year recorded its largest-ever trade deficit with China of over €360 billion.

G7 leaders will also discuss Artificial Intelligence (AI) over lunch on Wednesday (June 17, 2026), including the liability of bots and agents, and how AI presents what is true and false. ​OpenAI founder Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei are expected to attend.