Whose the boss at the G7 Summit. According to President Donald Trump, he is.
At least that is what he told a roomful of global leaders Wednesday, Reutersreported.
“I’m the boss,” Trump said as he and other G7 heads met and acknowledged Ukraine’s improved fortunes with a unified pledge of support and fresh sanctions against Russia.
Trump’s comment was a tongue-in-cheek statement which was an unspoken truth hanging over the summit of the Group of Seven Western powers in the French resort of Evian-les-Bains.
It followed a joint leaders’ statement that could bolster Kyiv’s growing leverage in potential peace talks with Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his allies came to the G7 in the hopes of convincing Trump Ukraine’s fightback is delivering results. They also want other leaders to tealize Russia not in a position to dictate terms for any peace deal.
The joint statement and comments from leaders suggest Trump has warmed to Zelenskyy’s argument. Last year’s G7 Summit in Canada concluded without any joint stance on Ukraine.
It was unclear if bilateral Trump-Zelenskyy talks would take place. It was not clear if Trump will allow waivers to lapse on sanctions restricting Russian oil exports.
“I’m the boss,” Trump said as he arrived to take his seat at a session on global economic security.
Watch:
“There has been a change in position on the part of the United States and President Trump,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters. “There is a position that is harder toward Russia and more realistic, in our view, of the situation on the ground of the war.”
G7 chiefs welcomed a preliminary peace deal between the United States and Iran.
They said they would make efforts to diversify energy supply routes to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blocked.
Trump stress on Wednesday the memorandum of understanding with Iran was not final.
“If I don’t like it, if they don’t behave, we’ll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head, OK?” he said.