How G7 leaders sought Trump's support for Ukraine – photo report

Those efforts were not in vain. In the summit's final geopolitical statement, the Group of Seven pledged to increase pressure on Russia's wartime economy and strengthen sanctions targeting its oil and gas sector. The leaders also praised "Ukraine's resilience and progress on the battlefield in recent months" and said this had created "new momentum" in the war.

"We agreed to increase supplies of air defense assets, additional systems and interceptors, as well as long-range capabilities. We are also prepared to consider granting Ukraine licenses that would allow it to expand domestic military production," the statement said.

Given how often G7 summits involving Donald Trump have ended with the United States breaking from a common position, Western leaders appeared this time to have found arguments capable of convincing the U.S. president that pressure should be applied to Russia, rather than Ukraine, to end the war. Although Trump has repeatedly reversed positions in the past, European diplomats reportedly emerged from the summit in an "unexpectedly optimistic" mood, according to Politico.

The publication reported that behind closed doors Trump was "more accommodating" than in his public comments and effectively agreed to a quid pro quo: support from other G7 countries in securing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz following his agreement with Iran in exchange for U.S. backing of Europe's position on Ukraine and pressure on Russia. Leaders from Middle Eastern countries were also present during the discussions.

Describing the atmosphere of the summit, The Guardian said it became a "one-man show" centered on Trump after G7 leaders were forced to wait nearly an hour for the start of Tuesday's session on Ukraine. The delay followed an unscheduled trilateral meeting between summit host Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump.

"These unusual scenes, as other leaders tried to fill the lengthy wait with informal conversations, illustrated one thing above all: despite the combined power of the G7, this summit was effectively about managing one man — U.S. President Donald Trump — and his positions on the key issues of the day," The Guardian wrote.

European leaders are known to have urged Trump to host talks between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the United States. At the summit, they also promoted five positions previously coordinated with Ukraine as the basis for achieving a just peace.

After Trump described his meeting with Zelenskyy as "very good" and publicly acknowledged that Russia should reach a peace agreement, Politico concluded that the U.S. president had "extended an olive branch to Ukraine at the G7 summit — albeit at a price," referring to European support for his Iran deal.

"The upbeat mood surrounding the war in Ukraine at the G7 summit stood in sharp contrast to Zelenskyy's meeting with Trump in the Oval Office last year, when he was told he had no leverage in potential peace negotiations with Russia," Reuters drew a similar conclusion.

Citing diplomatic sources, Reuters also reported that the tone of the closed-door discussions was "constructive" and that Zelenskyy made a "psychologically effective" move by showing Trump photographs of the damage caused by the strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. A journalist from Germany's DW, citing sources, also reported that Trump acknowledged Russia was now in a weaker position than before.

As a result, Western governments are now hoping to keep Trump firmly aligned with their position ahead of the NATO summit scheduled for early July in Ankara, Turkey, Politico reported.

"So far, it appears to be working," the publication concluded.

NV has compiled a selection of the most striking photographs from the key days of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on the shores of Lake Geneva.