Macron Describes Meeting with Trump as “Difficult” During G7 Summit

During the Group of Seven summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, French President Emmanuel Macron was overheard describing his previous night’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump as “difficult” while speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Details of Macron and Trump Discussion

The conversation between Macron and Zelensky was captured on a hot mic as the two leaders walked together. Macron reportedly said, “Yesterday we had a difficult discussion with President Trump.” This exchange was reported by The Mirror.

The summit, lasting three days, primarily focused on efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict in the Middle East through a U.S.-Iran deal, as well as addressing Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. These topics dominated discussions among leaders from the U.S., Japan, France, Canada, the U.K., Italy, and Germany.

Macron and Zelensky Interactions During Summit

Macron encouraged Zelensky to prolong his attendance at the summit, but Zelensky declined, citing a scheduled trip to Brussels later in the week. Additionally, Macron asked if Zelensky had met with Trump during the summit. Zelensky replied that he had not, but requested a one-on-one meeting with Trump. Macron responded, “OK, I will arrange that.”

Subsequently, Trump informed reporters that he planned to meet with Zelensky privately during the summit.

Positions on Ukraine Conflict

Regarding the summit, Zelensky stated on X that the main goal was to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense and advance diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war. He emphasized the necessity of peace.

Trump described his meeting with Zelensky as “very good” and committed to doing “whatever I can” to address the issue.