G7 commits to ‘unwavering support for Ukraine’ with pledge to offer more air defence

By Jakub Krupa • June 17, 2026 • World news

World leaders backed Ukraine’s defence of ‘its freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity’

Donald Trump has urged Russia to “make a deal” with Ukraine as the leaders of G7 countries meet on Tuesday and try to put the conflict back at the top of the agenda. European leaders are hoping to capture Trump’s attention for long enough to speak to him about Ukraine, with the US president’s focus more on the US-Israeli war against Iran. Nosheen Iqbal speaks to the Guardian’s Europe correspondent, Jon Henley. in Évian les-Bains The wait for Keir Starmer’s first session of the G7 gathering in Évian-les-Bains was undoubtedly awkward. A meeting about the future of Ukraine had been due to start at 9am but more than half an hour later, Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron were nowhere to be seen. On a live Reuters feed, Starmer could be seen standing next to the leaders of Canada and Japan as they milled about making small talk. “Are they, are they having a meeting?” the British prime minister could be heard asking. If he was referring to the missing attenders, and they were indeed having a meeting, it was clear he hadn’t been invited. It was a moment that epitomised Starmer’s fragility during what could be one of his final outings on the world stage. Arriving on the red carpet at the Hotel Royal, the luxurious G7 venue on the shores of Lake Geneva, he smiled and shook hands, seemingly untroubled by the prospect of a leadership challenge that could come within days if Andy Burnham is elected in the Makerfield byelection on Thursday. Despite some early concerns about Donald Trump’s position, the G7 leaders meeting in France have agreed on a statement declaring their “unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.” The statement, published overnight, says: “We commend Ukraine for its resilience and progress on the battlefield in recent months and emphasise there is now a new momentum. To support and accelerate this new momentum, we agree to increase the delivery of air defence capacities, additional systems and interceptors, and long-range capabilities. We are also ready to consider extending to Ukraine the benefit of licenses to allow for an increase in Ukraine’s military production.” In a classic Trump-era move, the statement on Ukraine also includes some pointed praise of the US president in a pointed attempt to keep him on side: “We commit to increase the pressure on the Russian war economy. In this context, we will strengthen our sanctions, including those on the oil and gas sectors. We consider this the right moment to proceed with additional measures, as president Trump has delivered a deal that we support in reopening the strait of Hormuz.” I guess, whatever works, right? The leaders will continue their talks today discussing economic growth and AI, with the latter session likely to get some attention as they will meet with the bosses of OpenAI and Anthropic. Later tonight, France’s Emmanuel Macron will host the US president at the Palace of Versailles to mark the 250th anniversary of the US independence. Unusually enthused Trump said last night that it was “a real deal,” and that he was looking forward to it. Separately, we will hear from Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte this morning ahead of tomorrow’s meeting of the alliance’s defence ministers – and less than a month before the much-dreaded Ankara summit, which once again will be all about keeping Trump on side. Lots to cover today. It’s Wednesday, 17 June 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning.

Source: The Guardian