US President Donald Trump has suggested that the United States could soon reimpose sanctions on Russian oil shipments, signalling a shift in priorities as leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) major industrialized democracies gathered in Evian-les-Bains, a French spa town near the Swiss border, and moved to put the war in Ukraine back at the top of their agenda.
Trump explained that sanctions on some Russian oil shipments had been temporarily eased in March — shortly after the start of US military operations against Iran — to help contain rising energy prices caused by disruptions in the Persian Gulf. With an agreement now reached to end that conflict and the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway through which a significant portion of global oil trade passes, set to reopen, Trump said the rationale for the waiver no longer holds. "Soon we'll be able to do that because the oil is now flowing," he told reporters. "We're in a position to do that soon." He stopped short, however, of making a firm commitment or setting a timeline.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined the G7 leaders for talks on the war, which wrapped in roughly 75 minutes. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is serious about peace while accusing Russia of toying with world leaders, and reported unanimous G7 support for Ukraine. He also lobbied for additional Patriot air defence missiles to counter Russian ballistic strikes on Ukrainian cities and power infrastructure, and pushed for licences allowing European partners to manufacture US air defence systems — though the outcome of that request remained unclear. According to sources cited by the Kyiv Independent, Zelenskyy showed Trump photographs of damage inflicted by a Russian strike on a monastery complex in Kyiv two days earlier, and Trump appeared visibly moved by the images. Hours before the summit opened, Russia had launched a major drone and missile barrage on Ukraine's largest cities, killing 11 people and setting fire to a religious landmark.
On the sidelines, the United Kingdom announced new sanctions targeting Russia's so-called shadow fleet — vessels used to ship oil and gas in circumvention of Western restrictions — as well as the financial networks enabling sanctions evasion. Canada's prime minister also announced additional measures. Germany's foreign minister expressed cautious optimism that peace talks could begin before the end of summer, noting that neither side holds a decisive military advantage. The Kremlin, meanwhile, said American negotiators are expected to travel to Moscow for talks once a preliminary US-Iran agreement is formally signed in Switzerland later this week.
The developments underscore how the war in Ukraine, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, has been complicated by overlapping global crises. With European allies now the largest providers of military and financial support to Kyiv following US cutbacks, and peace negotiations repeatedly stalling, the G7 summit represents a moment of renewed — if still fragile — Western alignment on Ukraine's future, including its newly launched European Union membership negotiations, which Kyiv views as a long-term security anchor.