Zelenskyy’s clever play to win over Trump at G7– The Latest
episodePreviously titled “The scramble to convince Trump to back Ukraine – The Latest” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 2, 2026
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What are the latest developments in the G7 summit regarding Ukraine?
This is The Guardian.
Look, Russia should make a deal. Russia's lost tremendous amounts of people, and so has Ukraine.
The crucial thing in that is that he is expecting concessions from Putin as well. That's a step in the right direction, and that would be welcomed by European leaders.
From The Guardian's Today In Focus, this is The Latest with me, Noshin Iqbal. John Henley, thank you for joining us. You're the Guardian's Europe correspondent. It is day one of the G7 summit where world leaders are gathering in the French Alps and all eyes today are on Donald Trump. Who else?
What are European leaders hoping to achieve with Trump at the G7?
Now, there's a lot of attention being paid in trying to get Trump to focus on the Russia-Ukraine war. Could be something of a mixed blessing. But what are European leaders hoping for?
I mean, they're essentially hoping to keep Donald Trump on board and to get him to agree to at least an agreed set of parameters for ongoing talks over Ukraine. I mean, Trump arrived at this G7 summit with quite a head of kind of diplomatic and political momentum because of the deal on Iran. You know... Albeit it's very vague. Nobody really knows yet what's in it. It could all come to nothing. It doesn't look very convincing.
How does Trump's meeting with Zelensky impact the Ukraine conflict?
But, you know, he arrived with that in his pocket, as it were. And what European leaders are absolutely terrified of is that he will take the momentum from that deal and try and move it forward into a deal between Moscow and Kiev that dramatically favours Russia rather than Ukraine. So European leaders are just absolutely desperate to keep him on board, keep him focused, try and get a kind of coherent, unified, strategic approach to Ukraine out of him. That's what they're looking for.
Because that sort of favourability to Moscow, it is a real worry, isn't it? I mean, Trump confirmed this morning that he'd had a very good meeting with Zelensky. He's due to have another one today. He did also say Russia should make a deal. It's a very simple statement. But, John, how significant is it?
What concessions is Trump expecting from Putin for a peace deal?
Because he's not exactly been consistent in his condemnation of Putin or in his support for Zelensky in these last few years.
No, exactly. I mean, I think he has a he has a very transactional relationship now with Zelensky. I think that's the key thing. Zelensky is playing it really quite cleverly. I think I mean, he's massaging Trump's ego as as hard as he can. Trump said he had these good talks. Zelensky, in turn, has said, you know, only Trump can do it or maybe only Trump can solve this problem. You know, and it's clear that, you know, Zelensky also desperately wants permission, essentially, to manufacture Patriot missiles in Ukraine. So he's keen to get that out of Trump.
How significant are the economic implications of the US-Ukraine partnership?
Trump is, you know, we've moved on clearly from that extraordinary blow up that we all remember in the White House when J.D. Vance and Trump essentially insulted Zelensky in front of everybody.
It's humiliating.
Well, yeah, we've now moved on to a, you know, a much more transactional kind of relationship. And as regards Putin, you know, Trump has long trumpeted his kind of special relationship with Putin and boasted that he's capable of solving the situation and stopping the war, essentially, you know, with a single phone call, which clearly isn't true. But he did acknowledge today that... at the G7 summit, you know, that there is an awful lot of kind of animosity, at least between Zelensky and Putin, which is progress from Trump. And as you say, he said, you know, pushing Moscow to get a deal done. And I think, you know, the crucial thing in that is that it kind of acknowledges that he is expecting concessions from Putin as well.
In order to make a deal, he's clearly demanding that Putin make some concessions.
What is Ursula von der Leyen's assessment of the war's current status?
That's a step in the right direction, and that would be welcomed by European leaders.
Let's talk about the concessions on the Ukrainian side, because, you know, after that explosive White House meeting, Ukraine and the US did sign a deal on critical minerals, which means that the US will share profits in any future mineral or energy resources that Ukraine has, which obviously can't really come into full play until the war is over.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What are the latest developments in the G7 summit regarding Ukraine?
0:00–0:53
2
What are European leaders hoping to achieve with Trump at the G7?
0:53–1:39
3
How does Trump's meeting with Zelensky impact the Ukraine conflict?
1:39–2:32
4
What concessions is Trump expecting from Putin for a peace deal?
2:32–3:29
5
How significant are the economic implications of the US-Ukraine partnership?
3:29–4:43
6
What is Ursula von der Leyen's assessment of the war's current status?
4:43–6:00
7
How might Trump's influence affect the future of Ukraine and Europe?
6:00–11:47