G7 abandons joint Ukraine statement as Zelenskiy says diplomacy in crisis, World News
KANANASKIS, Alberta — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will leave the Group of Seven summit on Tuesday (June 17) with new aid from host Canada for its war against invader Russia but without a joint statement of support from members or a chance to meet with US President Donald Trump.
The G7 wealthy nations struggled to find unity over the conflict in Ukraine after Trump expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and left a day early to address the Israel-Iran conflict from Washington.
Canada dropped plans for the G7 to issue a strong statement on the war in Ukraine after resistance from the United States, a Canadian official told reporters.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa would provide C$2 billion (S$1.87 billion) in new military assistance for Kyiv as well as impose new financial sanctions.
A Russian attack overnight on Kyiv and other cities that killed at least 18 people "underscores the importance of standing in total solidarity with Ukraine," Carney said.
Carney said when G7 leaders met for dinner in the Rocky Mountain resort area of Kananaskis on Monday before Trump left, they stressed the importance of using "maximum pressure against Russia" to force it to start serious peace talks.
Zelenskiy said he had told the G7 leaders that "diplomacy is now in a state of crisis" and said they need to continue calling on Trump "to use his real influence" to force an end to the war.
"Even if the American President is not putting enough pressure on Russia right now, the truth is that America still has the broadest global interests and the largest number of allies. All of them will need strong protection," he said in a post on his Telegram account.
Although Canada is one of Ukraine's most vocal defenders, its ability to help Kyiv is far outweighed by the United States, the largest arms supplier. Zelenskiy had said he hoped to talk to Trump about acquiring more weapons.
When the summit ends later on Tuesday, Carney plans to issue a chair statement calling for more pressure on Russia through sanctions and saying the G7 backs US-led peace efforts, two G7 sources said.
Canada holds the rotating G7 presidency this year. Other leaders do not need to sign off on G7 chair statements.
A European official said leaders had stressed to Trump their plans to be hard on Russia and Trump seemed impressed, though he does not like sanctions in principle.
Three European diplomats said they had heard signals from Trump that he wanted to raise pressure on Putin and consider a US Senate bill drafted by Senator Lindsey Graham, but that he had not committed to anything.
"I am returning to Germany with cautious optimism that decisions will also be made in America in the coming days to impose further sanctions against Russia," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
G7 leaders agreed on six statements, about migrant smuggling, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, wildfires, transnational repression and quantum computing. Kremlin says G7 looks 'rather useless'
Trump said on Monday he needed to be back in Washington as soon as possible due to the situation in the Middle East, where escalating attacks between Iran and Israel have raised risks of a broader regional conflict.
He later said his early departure from the summit had "nothing to do with" working on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, however, denying comments by French President Emmanuel Macron, who had said the US president leaving could be a sign of a potential deal.
A White House official on Tuesday said Trump explained that he returned to the US because it is better to hold high-level National Security Council meetings in person, rather than over the phone.
Trump did agree to a group statement published on Monday calling for a resolution of the Israel-Iran conflict.
The statement said Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror and that Israel has the right to defend itself.
Upon arriving at the summit on Monday, Trump said that the then-Group of Eight had been wrong to expel Russia after Putin ordered the occupation of Crimea in 2014.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Trump was right and said the G7 was no longer significant for Russia and looked "rather useless."
Many leaders had hoped to negotiate trade deals with Trump, but the only deal signed was the finalisation of the US-UK deal announced last month. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained at the summit after Trump left.
Carney also invited non-G7 members Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea and Brazil, as he tries to shore up alliances elsewhere and diversify Canada's exports away from the United States.
Carney warmly welcomed Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday, after two years of tense relations between Canada and India.
[[nid:719178]]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
India's Modi tells Trump there was no US mediation in ceasefire with Pakistan
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo India's Modi tells Trump there was no US mediation in ceasefire with Pakistan NEW DELHI - India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi told U.S. President Donald Trump late on Tuesday that a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a four-day conflict in May was achieved through talks between the two militaries and not U.S. mediation, India's senior-most diplomat said. Trump had said last month that the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by the U.S., and that the hostilities ended after he urged the countries to focus on trade instead of war. India has previously denied any third-party mediation and Tuesday's phone call between Modi and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, which Modi attended as a guest, is their first direct exchange since the May 7-10 conflict. "PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this period, there was no talk at any stage on subjects like India-U.S. trade deal or U.S. mediation between India and Pakistan," Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a press statement. "Talks for ceasing military action happened directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, and on the insistence of Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do," he said. Misri said the two leaders were due to meet on the sidelines of G7 summit but Trump left a day early due to the situation in the Middle East. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Modi-Trump call. Pakistan has previously said that the ceasefire happened after its military returned a call the Indian military had initiated on May 7. The heaviest fighting in decades between India and Pakistan was sparked by an April 22 attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident on "terrorists" backed by Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad. On May 7, Indian jets bombed what New Delhi called "terrorist infrastructure" sites across the border, triggering tit-for-tat strikes spread over four days in which both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery. Misri said that Trump expressed his support for India's fight against terrorism and that Modi told him India's Operation Sindoor under which it launched the cross border strikes was still on. Trump also asked Modi if he could stop by the U.S. on his return from Canada, Misri said, but the Indian leader expressed his inability to do so due to a pre-decided schedule. He invited Trump to visit India later this year for the summit of the leaders of the Quad grouping, which Trump accepted, Misri said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
India's Modi maintains there was no US mediation in ceasefire with Pakistan
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo India's Modi maintains there was no US mediation in ceasefire with Pakistan NEW DELHI - India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi maintained in a conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump late on Tuesday that a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a four-day conflict in May was achieved through talks between the two militaries and not U.S. mediation, India's senior-most diplomat said Trump had said last month that the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by the U.S., and that the hostilities ended after he urged the countries to focus on trade instead of war. "PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this period, there was no talk at any stage on subjects like India-U.S. trade deal or U.S. mediation between India and Pakistan," Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a press statement. "Talks for ceasing military action happened directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, and on the insistence of Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do," he said. Misri said the two leaders spoke over the phone at the insistence of Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada which Modi attended as a guest. The call lasted 35 minutes. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Modi-Trump call. Pakistan has previously said that the ceasefire happened after its military returned a call the Indian military had initiated on May 7. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Great-grandson of Islamic Republic's founder was in streets as Israel fired on Tehran
The 28-year-old great-grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran's Islamic Republic, was standing on a balcony in Tehran in the middle of the night on June 17 as sounds of explosions from Israeli strikes and thuds of air defenses rocked the city. Mr Seyyed Ahmad Khomeini, a junior cleric, said in a telephone interview with The New York Times, that from his viewpoint Israel had waged a war on Iran, threatening the integrity of the country and the safety of its people. But for him, he said, the conflict was also deeply personal. The legacy of his family name, the revolution his great-grandfather had led, toppling thousands of years of monarchy in Iran in 1979, was at stake. 'I want to say is that we will remain in Tehran, we will not leave this land. Even if we have to sacrifice every ounce of our blood, like a soldier, we will fight,' Mr Khomeini said. 'The enemy has made a massive mistake if it thinks it can dislodge this revolution.' An even bigger mistake, Mr Khomeini said, would be for President Donald Trump to enter the war and attack the Fordo nuclear site. On June 17, Mr Trump posted a series of messages on social media, one of which called for Iran's 'unconditional surrender.' He also met with his National Security Council as evidence mounted that the United States was considering joining Israel's bombing campaign to damage Iran's nuclear capabilities. A day earlier, Mr Trump had warned residents of Tehran, a city of more than 10 million people, to evacuate in a social media post. Many residents of Tehran have tried to heed his call. 'Iran will respond in a different way if this happens,' Mr Khomeini said, in reference to the United States becoming more involved in the conflict. The war would spread, and the region would descend further into chaos, he said. Mr Khomeini lives in the city of Qom, about 100 miles south of Tehran, where he attends Shia theological seminary. He is the grandson of Khomeini's son, Ahmad, and in the past few years has identified with the reformist faction of the government. He campaigned for the reformist candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, who won the presidential election nearly a year ago. Mr Khomeini said that he typically spends weekends in Tehran and was there on June 13– the Iranian weekend – when Israel first attacked. He said he had remained in the capital, consulting with a tight loyal circle of younger government officials. He did not want to retreat to a bunker, he said. On June 17 night, a crowd of government supporters gathered at Palestine Square in central Tehran, waving flags and pledging fierce revenge against Israel. A digital countdown clock at the square shows what it claims is the time left until Israel's demise. Mr Khomeini said he heard about the gathering and spontaneously decided to participate despite a new round of Israeli strikes in the Tehran area. Israel has assassinated at least 10 of Iran's highest-ranking military commanders since June 13. On June 17, Israel said it had killed the new top military commander, Major General Ali Shadmani, in a strike, days after he was appointed. Iran did not comment on Israel's claim. But that has not deterred the young Mr Khomeini. Part of his great-grandfather's legacy, he said, was to show the public and the enemies that he was not afraid. 'I'm one person, and I want to stand by the people,' he added. He said he understood that some Iranians 'are angry at the establishment, are upset and have negative views of the government, have different beliefs' from the republic his great-grandfather founded, but he called on his people to always choose Iran. Mr Khomeini said he named his two-year-old daughter Iran. Iranians have staged nationwide demonstrations, most recently in 2022 that were led by women and young girls following the death of Ms Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who died in the custody of the country's morality police on allegations of violating hijab rules, which mandate that women and girls cover their hair and bodies. The government has brutally crushed the protests, blocked reforms and jailed and killed hundreds of protesters. The demonstrators have chanted 'Death to the dictator' and participated in daily acts of collective civil disobedience, like women not wearing hijabs in public. Iranian officials have long been concerned that a war with Israel or the United States would destabilise the country, deepen economic woes and spark a new domestic uprising. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who succeeded Mr Khomeini's great-grandfather, conceded to nuclear negotiations with the United States in March to avoid the risk of fighting a war on two fronts, against external enemies and domestic dissent. Asked what he thinks Ayatollah Khomeini would say to him about the current war, the young Mr Khomeini replied, 'remain together, stay united; if you do, no enemy can win over you.' NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
