President Donald Trump is set to meet with Middle Eastern leaders at the G7 summit in France next week, senior US officials said Saturday, and he is expected to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump is scheduled to travel to Evian, France, for the G7 summit early Monday after attending UFC Freedom 250, a mixed martial arts event at the White House, on Sunday.
He will speak to a number of European leaders who he’s squabbled with over trade, tariffs, Ukraine and NATO since his return to the White House early in 2025.
Trump will meet separately with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, United Arab Emirate, France and India at the summit that starts Monday. He will also participate in a working session Tuesday with Zelensky, who he has had up-and-down relations with, and G7 leaders.
The meeting comes at a time when Russian advances in Ukraine have slowed and Ukraine seeks more military funding from its allies.
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One of the senior U.S. officials who briefed reporters on Trump’s trip said Russian gains have “more or less stopped.”
“We want the war to end as quickly as possible,” the official said.
Trump plans to raise issues including economic growth, supply chain resilience, illegal migration, and artificial intelligence. He also aims to strengthen critical mineral supply chains for advanced technologies.
French President Emmanuel Macron will host Trump for dinner on Wednesday at Versailles palace near Paris before Trump heads back to Washington, D.C.
The meetings with Middle East leaders come as momentum for a deal to end the Iran war appeared to grow Saturday as mediator Pakistan said an agreement was closer than “ever before.”
Trump is expected to discuss demining the Strait of Hormuz with the leaders, and Britain and France, both G7 members, have expressed interest in assisting with demining once the conflict is paused.
It was not immediately known how many mines are in the strait that Iran has effectively controlled since shortly after the war began, virtually shutting down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf.
The U.S. blockaded Iranian ports in response and a rocky ceasefire has been in place since April 7.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
