The Albany Gazette - G7 allies seek common ground with Trump after Iran accord

With Trump arriving in the Lake Geneva resort of Evian-les-Bains flush from celebrating his 80th birthday the day earlier, allies will want details on the deal and the planned reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.

But Iran will be far from the only explosive issue at the three-day meeting, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky due to attend from Tuesday, following the latest deadly Russian barrage on Ukraine that sparked a fire at a historic Kyiv cathedral.

Host President Emmanuel Macron wants to advance a packed agenda of sensitive topics ranging from limiting global economic imbalances to increasing control in the digital sphere, notably AI.

Macron said in a post on Instagram overnight that the summit will examine the "consequences" of the Iran accord -- which is due to be signed in Switzerland on Friday -- in terms of the implications for Lebanon, the lasting reopening of Hormuz and Iran's ballistic activities.

He later added in a post on X that a UK-France mission to aid the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz had its assets "in place" and was "ready to be deployed."

European leaders are impatient to see the Strait reopened after the limiting of shipping traffic during the war caused a spike in global energy prices.

- Parade of guests -

A parade of world leaders will take place over the next three days.

France is keen to expand the reach of the G7 beyond its membership of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Arab leaders including Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the emir of Qatar and president of the UAE will be there to discuss Iran.

The leaders of Brazil, Egypt, India, Kenya and South Korea are also attending.

Beyond politics, Sam Altman, the head of artificial intelligence giant OpenAI, Anthropic chief Dario Amodei and Arthur Mensch of their European rival Mistral AI will attend a lunch on Wednesday on protecting minors in the digital sphere.

"The aim is to have new agreements, convergences between the G7 countries and its partners... to find common solutions, reduce tensions in the world and improve the state of our economies," said Macron in his Instagram video.

A vast security lockdown is in place, mobilising thousands of police and troops, an operation that extends to neighbouring Switzerland on the other side of the lake.

On Sunday, police and people protesting the G7 summit clashed in the Swiss city of Geneva. Protesters threw bottles, stones, pieces of cement and firecrackers near the United Nations headquarters at the police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons.

- 'More pressure on the aggressor' -

The European leaders and Canada will also be keen to remind Trump of the importance of pushing Russia to accept a peace on Ukraine's terms, more than four years after the invasion of its neighbour.

Zelensky on Monday called for G7 leaders to up their pressure on Moscow after the latest wave of Russian strikes that killed at least 11 people and set fire to a historic cathedral in Kyiv.

"It is very important that there be a response from the G7 countries," Zelensky said.

Trump's G7 stay will begin with talks with Macron on Monday from 1500 GMT, followed by a working dinner with all the participants.

Unusually, he is to extend his stay in France by dining with Macron at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris on Wednesday after the G7 finishes.

China, as so often at G7 meetings, will be conspicuous by its absence. But leaders will discuss issues including Beijing's dominance and control in the market for rare earth minerals used in everyday electronic appliances.

(K.Lee--TAG)