Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) vowed to increase pressure on the Russian economy Statement published on Wednesday Morning.
“To support and accelerate this new momentum, we agree to increase air defense capabilities, additional systems and supplies of interceptor and long-range capabilities,” the leaders’ statement said.
The leaders committed to “increasing pressure on the Russian war economy. In this context, we will strengthen our sanctions, including on the oil and gas sectors.”
The statement further said, “We believe this is the right time to move forward with additional measures, as President Trump has made an agreement that we support to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.”
The statement summed up the upbeat sentiment that emerged Tuesday when G7 leaders began their first official agenda by discussing Ukraine at the summit of the meeting.
Emmanuel Macron, the host of this year’s meeting, made it clear that Ukraine is high on the G7 agenda by inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a special guest at the summit.
The Trump administration has been embroiled in the war in Iran for the past few months. But even before that, his administration left the task of supporting Ukraine to European allies, and the EU took over.
EU is now Ukraine’s largest financial donor.
EU leaders get some welcome news from Trump
Trump said on Tuesday that sanctions imposed on Russia during the Iran war were being eased to help lower oil prices, as more oil could begin moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also said that “Russia should make a deal” to end the war against Ukraine, adding that he was going to do “whatever he can do.”
This was welcome news for European leaders who came well prepared to deal with questions over their support for Ukraine.
Early Tuesday, DW Brussels bureau chief Katharina Kroll’s top questions were: How much will Trump support efforts to step up pressure on Russia to finally enter serious peace talks? And how much will Trump accept that there can be no peace agreement without the Europeans?
Although Trump’s comments were welcome news, there were still questions to be answered.
Trump also said that Ukraine ‘will have no impact on us’
Trump told reporters that we have nothing to do with Russia’s war against Ukraine. “It will have no effect on us, except if we sell arms to Ukraine,” he said. “We’re thousands of miles apart.”
He said the Iran conflict would soon be “in the rear view”, but he was still “focused on Iran”.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and Germany’s Friedrich Merz express optimism
But European leaders expressed optimism as they saw some momentum returning on the Ukraine front.
“The situation is changing for Ukraine,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday.
“The situation in 2026 is very different from 2025. Ukraine is bravely on the front lines. Russia’s fatigue is clearly visible,” he wrote.
DW’s Kroll said she was hearing from German government sources that the G7 agreed that Russia was under immense pressure and that the situation in Ukraine had clearly improved.
Ukraine’s drone warfare, such as its ability to launch long-range drones, as it did when it targeted a military facility in St. Petersburg earlier this month, is a major factor that has helped it reverse Russia’s advantage, experts say.
Merz said he saw Trump in a cooperative mood, telling reporters on Tuesday that “I have a certain optimism that Europeans and Americans [will] Do everything to end this war.”
Merz said the US president has no problem with European countries joining future peace talks between Ukraine and aggressive Russia.
Russia also continued to fire hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine’s largest cities, in attacks that damaged one of Ukraine’s most important religious and cultural sites since Monday night.
Material from the Associated Press news agency contributed to the report.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery