A brief hot mic exchange between French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the G7 Summit revealed how the two leaders planned to approach talks with President Donald Trump.
World leaders gathered in Evian-les-Bains on Tuesday, June 16, for the first full day of a three-day summit focused on some of the world’s most pressing geopolitical issues.
The G7 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Ukraine is not a member, but Zelensky was invited to attend. Several partner nations, including Brazil, India, Kenya, and South Korea, are also taking part in selected summit discussions.
After greeting each other during the summit, Macron asked Zelensky how long he intended to stay. The Ukrainian president appeared to explain that he would remain for one more day, before going to Brussels.
67 summit in France
Macron then asked whether a “bilateral [unintelligible] being organized,” according to the Daily Mail.
Zelensky responded: “With President Trump?”
The two leaders reportedly then lowered their voices for about 20 seconds, before Macron said: “Okay, we’ll arrange that.”
The exchange quickly sparked speculation that Macron and Zelensky were discussing plans for a meeting with Donald Trump away from public view. Later, Macron referenced an upcoming G7 meeting before the pair once again continued their conversation quietly. Both leaders then met with Trump.
Hot mic conversation between Macron and Zelensky
The meeting came as tensions remain high between the United States and several of its allies. Trump has reportedly clashed with multiple world leaders over his decision to launch military action against Iran and has threatened potential consequences over what he views as insufficient support.
With the conflict between Ukraine and Russia now in its fifth year, President Volodymyr Zelensky remains focused on securing backing from G7 nations. Following discussions with world leaders, he presented Ukraine’s main priorities.
“Priorities are clear,” he wrote, according to The Guardian. “More air defense missiles along with licenses to produce them, winter support package, and cranking up pressure on Russia. Importantly, the US is ready to provide backstop across these lines of effort.”
Zelensky thanked fellow leaders for taking part
Zelensky also described the summit as a “multilateral meeting” and thanked leaders for taking part, according to VT. Ukraine was one of the central topics, despite growing international attention on tensions involving Iran.
During a meeting with Macron, Trump said he had spoken with Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Now that this (Iran) is finished, we’re going to be focusing on that,” he reportedly said.
Macron expressed hope that he can persuade Trump to continue supporting Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to help bring about a peace agreement.
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