President Donald Trump has arrived in the French Alps for the Group of Seven summit after announcing an agreement to end the U.S. war with Iran. The deal is a big one for the Republican president, who was facing pressure to find an endgame to a war that's led to surging oil prices and inflation around the globe. Trump will meet Monday with G7 leaders, some of whom have criticized his handling of the conflict. The summit is expected to have a large focus on Iran, with discussions on demining the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also plans to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other G7 leaders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin each spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, marking Trump's 80th birthday and ahead of this week’s G7 summit. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin and Trump discussed Ukraine and U.S.-Russia relations, and that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Russia soon. Zelenskyy said he and Trump discussed steps toward peace, with further talks planned at the G7. Separate Ukrainian drone attacks killed one person each in Russia’s Oryol and Bryansk regions. Britain separately detained a tanker suspected of belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons in clashes with stone-throwing youths during a protest on Sunday in Geneva against the G7 group of wealthy nations. It comes a day before G7 leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump hold a summit in nearby France. Environmentalists, women's rights advocates and pro-Palestinian activists led the way. Police said roughly 20,000 protesters overall included 600 “Black Bloc” militants. Swiss and French authorities have deployed thousands of police for the summit starting Monday. Activists have expressed frustration with Trump and other G7 leaders over various issues.
Momentum for a deal to end the Iran war is growing. Pakistan says an agreement is closer than ever, and U.S. President Donald Trump asserts it will be “signed tomorrow. Iran is making some of its most optimistic statements yet. Its foreign ministry spokesperson said Saturday that the likelihood of finalizing a memorandum of understanding in the coming days is high. Meanwhile, Trump plans to discuss demining the Strait of Hormuz at the upcoming Group of Seven summit that begins Monday. And Iran says funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be in July. His son has succeeded him.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney became a symbol of middle power resistance after a celebrated speech earlier this year. But he is expected to be more muted in his criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump at an upcoming summit in Europe. Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos helped make him an international political star in January, when he declared the global rules-based order over and condemned coercion by great powers on smaller countries. But the Group of Seven summit of industrialized democracies that begins Monday in France comes ahead of the scheduled July 1 review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. That's the latest iteration of the North American free-trade pact.
The relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron began with a handshake nearly a decade ago. Initially, Macron seemed to manage Trump well, inviting him to Bastille Day celebrations in 2017. Trump reciprocated with a White House state dinner. However, their relationship has since soured, with disagreements over tariffs, Ukraine and the Iran war. Macron has criticized Trump’s “America first” policies and mixed signals about NATO. Despite tensions, Macron has tried to accommodate Trump’s schedule for next week's G7 summit in France, even adjusting the start date to ensure Trump’s attendance.
President Donald Trump is anticipating a significant weekend for his presidency. The World Cup returns to the U.S. on Friday, a bid Trump helped secure. On Sunday, his 80th birthday, he hosts a UFC fight night at the White House. But he has set expectations even higher by announcing that the U.S. and Iran might reach an agreement to end a three-month-old war. He has said before that a deal was within reach without anything coming to fruition. Trump claims Iran is eager to settle the conflict, though Iranian officials have not confirmed this. The war has affected global oil markets and is expected to be a major topic at the G7 summit in France next week.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called off new military strikes on Iran, hours after threatening to escalate the war. Trump said at the Oval Office on Thursday that a deal to end the war is close, without giving details. Trump hours earlier had threatened major strikes on Iran and to seize control of its oil and gas industries as escalating attacks between the countries pushed the Middle East closer to full-scale war. The threats came after the U.S and Iran traded strikes for a second straight day. Trump has claimed multiple times the U.S. and Iran are on the verge of a peace deal without anything coming to fruition.
Pakistan has launched new airstrikes on Afghanistan, ending a month of calm and escalating what Islamabad previously called “open war” between the neighbors. The strikes hit the eastern provinces of Khost, Kunar, and Paktika, killing 13 people, including 11 children. Pakistan confirmed the strikes and said 26 militants were killed as it targeted hideouts linked to recent attacks inside Pakistan. Fighting between the two countries has been ongoing since February. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants, while Kabul denies the charge. The border has been closed since October, disrupting trade and transportation. Efforts for peace talks have failed to produce a lasting truce.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says a new Canadian-built bridge across the Detroit River that U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to block will open soon. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Gordie Howe International Bridge is set to take place Friday while the bridge itself is expected to open to traffic later this month. Trump demanded in February that Canada turn over at least half the ownership of the bridge to the U.S. federal government and agree to other unspecified demands in his latest salvo over cross-border trade issues. The bridge connects Ontario and Michigan and would be a vital economic artery between the two countries. It had been expected to open in early 2026. Carney made his comments on Tuesday.