G7 leaders press Trump on Ukraine as summit wraps up

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G7 leaders press Trump on Ukraine as summit wraps up  The eyes of the world are on Evian-les-Bains, where G7 leaders are gathering for their third day and final day of talks. Beyond the photo ops, European leaders used this precious face time with the US President to urge him to break the deadlock on Ukraine.  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/06/17/g7-leaders-press-trump-on-ukraine-as-summit-wraps-up  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:13Good morning, it is Wednesday the 17th of June. I'm Maeve McMahan and this is Europe Today,

00:20bringing you all the news to start your day. Coming up, the eyes of the world are on Evian

00:25where G7 leaders are gathering for the third and final day of talks. Beyond the photo ops,

00:31European leaders have used this precious FaceTime with the US President to urge him to help break

00:36the deadlock on Ukraine. We'll have the latest on their joint declaration hot off the press with

00:41our Europe editor Maria Taddeo, live from Evian. Also in Evian, executives from tech giants,

00:48Centropic, OpenAI, Google and Mr. AI are working on a joint pledge to address child safety and

00:54the future of AI. This as the US introduced export controls on anthropic AI models.

01:01Your news is Angela Scudins will bring us up to speed from the ground.

01:04Meanwhile, on the football pitch, France secured a comfortable start to their FIFA World Cup

01:09participation with a 3-1 win over Senegal. Austria also entered the tournament this morning,

01:15playing in their first World Cup in almost three decades. We'll have reactions from the

01:20Austrian MEP and football aficionado Lucas Mandel. And who exactly is Gianni Infantino and why is he

01:28hogging the headlines? We'll tell you everything you need to know about the FIFA President.

01:33But first, our top story takes us to Evian-les-Bains, where the most powerful leaders in the world are

01:38wrapping up three days of high-level talks. In a rare moment of convergence, G7 leaders have issued a

01:44joint declaration reiterating their support of Ukraine in defending freedom, sovereignty and

01:50territorial integrity, while also committing to increase pressure on Russia's war economy.

01:55For more, we can go straight to our Europe editor, Maria Tadeo, who's live in Evian with the latest on

02:00that joint declaration. Good morning, Maria. Great to have you with us. And now we're used to G6 plus

02:06one, but this time we see the US also jumping on board. Tell us more.

02:13Yes, Maeve, good morning. And that is really the value of that joint statement. It's not a

02:17communicator, it's a statement in that declaration coming in together last night after midnight,

02:22but it does name check the President of the US and it is endorsed by the G7 leader. So that

02:27is

02:27really the value of those talks that we saw there and the diplomacy at play yesterday in those sessions

02:32with the leaders, but also the President of Ukraine now coming together in this document in which,

02:38as you say, the G7, and I'm just reading and quoting now from the declaration that we got last

02:42night, stand united in an unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its freedom, sovereignty and

02:49territorial integrity. And they also say that they will commit to increased pressure on the Russian

02:54war machine. And Maeve, ultimately, when we talk about the Russian war machine, we're talking about

02:59Russian energy. It's the oil and it's the gas. Yesterday, President Trump hinted that he would be

03:05prepared to reinstall some of those sanctions that he waived when the war in Iran and the Strait of

03:12Hormuz pushed oil prices up and energy prices up. Now, with the war seemingly coming to an end with

03:18an agreement and a ceremony to sign it in Switzerland on Friday, the US would be prepared to reintroduce

03:24some of those sanctions and increase the pressure on Russia. We should note, however, and this is

03:29important, they do not say when they would come in those sanctions. They also do not detail how big

03:35they would be. And there is no timeline or horizon in this declaration. We should also note, and this

03:41is relevant because ultimately diplomacy is also the art of sitting together. We have not seen a

03:47bilateral meeting between President Zelensky and President Trump. They did have a working session

03:52yesterday. President Zelensky was around the table, but it was a group session. We have not seen face

03:58to face time with the two of them sitting down quietly for a long period. So again, there was a

04:04lot of

04:04speculation that perhaps there could be a bilateral for the time being. We have not seen one, but

04:09President Zelensky, it is still on site. And then he will head over to Brussels for the European summit

04:14tomorrow. But as you said earlier, of course, also in focus, Maria, the Middle East and Iran,

04:19where the G7 actually welcomes the efforts of Donald Trump to end the war. Tell us why.

04:25Yeah, indeed, Maeve, that is the other part of this declaration, which we have overnight coming in

04:32from the French presidency, in which they name check President Trump multiple times. Some suggest

04:38that is the price you have to pay for consensus, the flattery around the president of the US, in which

04:44they say they commend his efforts and they call this framework deal to end the war in Iran a breakthrough.

04:51And they also say there is now a real opportunity in the Middle East. The G7 also endorses and agrees

04:57that the Strait of Hormuz will have to reopen fully without any toll. So they reiterate that message

05:02that there needs to be freedom of navigation in the Strait. It also says that there is potentially a place

05:10for a mission, a maritime mission, to make sure that the vessels that will have to come through

05:16will be able to do so safely. And it matches really the tone from the president of the US,

05:22who reiterated yesterday, that the tolls will not happen, that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen

05:28fully by Friday, and that ceremony in Switzerland will go ahead. I should stress, however, there is

05:36a document, a leaked document that has been doing the rounds here in Evian now for 24 hours,

05:42detailing what is in that agreement. In principle, we have not seen the official version, but this leaked

05:47version does show that Iran would commit to not having a nuclear weapon, but there would also be

05:52financial incentives for Tehran. At the same time, we were told that the leaders of the EU and the

05:59European G7, alongside Canada and Japan, were shown by the US, a copy of this memorandum of

06:06understanding, which we understand is less than two pages. And they suggested that it is the basis,

06:11perhaps, to continue negotiations between the two of them. But the upside value of it is that it will

06:17now bring hostilities to an end and could have a major repercussion when it comes to the energy market

06:21tendency prices down. Okay, Maria Taddeo, our Europe Editor reporting live for us there from Evian

06:27Le Bain. Thank you so much for that broadcast. And staying with the G7, as geopolitics is not the

06:33only item on the menu, with AI and tech also slated for talks. For more, we can bring in your

06:38news's correspondent, Angela Scugins, who's also on the ground for us in Evian Le Bain this week.

06:43So, Angela, artificial intelligence very much high on the G7's agenda today. Just remind us why.

06:50Good morning, Maeve. So, while the G7 is very much about tackling the biggest geopolitical conflicts

06:56of our time, they also will require to look at the biggest technological advancement of the 21st

07:03century. And this is artificial intelligence. We expect a swag of top-tier AI executives to descend on

07:09Evian. They'll have to go through those police checks, which we can see right behind me,

07:15to enter this secure area. They are expected to talk about. They will attend a working lunch titled

07:22Ensuring a Safe, Rapid and Effective Deployment of Artificial Intelligence. We're talking about the

07:27CEOs from Anthropic, OpenAI, Mistral AI, as well as Google. This comes off the back, of course, of Trump

07:35last week, slapping export controls on Anthropic, one of the leading tech companies when it comes to AI.

07:42This has essentially proved a fear true for Europeans that the United States can flick a

07:48switch, turn off these capabilities that they desperately desire. But EU officials that have

07:54spoken to Euronews have confirmed that they expect this matter to be raised today, as well as a further

08:00cooperation, potentially, between Brussels and Washington when it comes to developing and hopefully

08:06sharing this technology, Maeve. And changing tack, Angela, there were also some lighter moments at

08:11the G7 from gifts to hot mics catching the politicians unaware. Tell us more.

08:18Yeah, so it started early yesterday morning with German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz gifting

08:23Trump a football jersey to celebrate the 80th birthday that just passed, as well as the kickoff

08:30of the FIFA World Cup. Mertz then posted on social media platform, ex-happy belated 80th birthday,

08:38POTUS. After all, we're on the same team. Of course, this comes off the back of Mertz

08:43previously criticising Trump for the ongoing war in Iran, stating that the ceasefire talks

08:49are humiliating Washington. Hopefully, here, this will paper over some of those divisions that have

08:55emerged. Of course, Trump announcing the withdrawal of US troops from Germany. But those hot mic moments

09:02that you referenced, this G7 seems to be plagued with politicians being caught unaware that their

09:08comments are being broadcast. This hit a high point yesterday with the Italian Prime Minister,

09:14Georgia Maloney, known for toting her tailored cigarettes, announcing to her political contemporaries

09:20says that she has been smoke-free for one month. Let's take a listen.

09:24How did I see your own slightly?

09:25No.

09:29Georgia.

09:30When?

09:30No.

09:31Last night.

09:32Good.

09:37Georgia Maloney speaking there to her political contemporaries at the G7 summit on Tuesday.

09:43But the action is not over yet. We're expecting one more full day of crunch time talks. Maeve?

09:49Okay. Angela Scudins, thank you so much for your reporting. And also to our EU news team,

09:54who will be live blogging on all the outcomes on that G7. So throughout the day, do consult

09:58yournews.com. But now it is time for our FIFA World Cup segment.

10:09And while global leaders are, of course, very busy in Evian, a lot of the world's attention has

10:13been occupied by the World Cup. And in many ways, on the controversial FIFA president,

10:18who's forged very close ties with the US president. Our Jacobianos tells us more about the FIFA boss,

10:24Gianni Infantino.

10:27A massive revolt is brewing for football's most powerful man. As the 2026 World Cup gets underway,

10:33FIFA president Gianni Infantino faces an unprecedented ethics backlash over his open alignment with the

10:39White House and vital hydration breaks being turned into TV advertisement slots. And for many,

10:45it would be already a career game changer, but not for Infantino.

10:49Maybe sometimes it's good as well to just, you know, chill, relax.

10:56All right, Gianni, but football fans are wondering, who are you?

11:01Born in 1970, two modest Italian immigrants in the quiet Swiss town of Brin, Infantino grew up far from

11:09luxury. His mother ran a railway station newsstand, while his father worked on sleeping cars.

11:14A multilingual lawyer, by training, he quietly climbed the ranks at the UEFA to become the trusted right-hand man

11:21to the French football legend,

11:22Michel Platini. And his big break came during the infamous 2015 FIFA gate corruption scandal.

11:29When the FBI arrested top officials and sidelined Platini, Infantino launched a backroom campaign to seize the presidency.

11:37He later described Infantino as an ambitious bureaucrat who rough-restly plotted to take his boss's crown.

11:43After that, Infantino concentrated all decision-making power and remade FIFA into a money-making machine.

11:50And expanding the tournaments from 32 to 48 teams has pushed FIFA's four-year revenue to a record $13 billion.

11:59Today, opinions on his legacy are deeply split. Some see him as the master manager who successfully

12:06rebuilt FIFA from its 2015 ashes. Orders view him as the ultimate symbol of corporate greed.

12:12And on his social media accounts, his post often end with the hashtag

12:16Football Unites the World. But as this tournament shows, there is always another thing that unites.

12:22And it is money. And as ethical investigations mount, football's ultimate businessman,

12:27might find his luck is finally running out.

12:35Jakob Iannis reporting for us there. And now we can take a look at the latest in the tournament.

12:40And to do so, I'm joined here in the studio by Euro News' Vincenzo Genovese.

12:43So bring us up to speed. What is the latest?

12:45Good morning, Maeve. France and Argentina won their opening game. And it was another great show by

12:53Lionel Messi. His Majesty with a nut-trick to Algeria, 20 years after his first goal in a World Cup.

13:01You know, Maeve, now Messi is the top scorer in the history of the World Cup with 16 goals.

13:06The same as German former striker Miroslav Klose.

13:09But the other side of the coin in this game is the sufferance from the stance of Zinedine Zidane,

13:16former World Champions with France, the legend of the football.

13:20Sufferance because his son Luca Zidane is the goalkeeper of Algeria.

13:25And he wasn't perfect in the game yesterday, especially in the second goal.

13:30So this is football. Joy and pain in the same game.

13:33Of course, this is football. And we saw Austria's very first game this morning against Jordan

13:38has just finished with 3-1 outcome.

13:40And among those who got up very early this morning to watch it was Lucas Mandel,

13:44a member of the European Parliament, who's also a big football aficionado.

13:48And he joins us now from Strasbourg.

13:49Good morning, Mr. Mandel. Great to have you with us.

13:52How was the game in your view? How did the Austrians play?

13:56Good morning. Thank you for having me.

13:58It's an exciting morning from an Austrian perspective.

14:00It's the best start of the day you can have with this 3-1 win in a tough game in

14:06the beginning,

14:07in a thrilling game throughout the whole 90 plus 10 minutes.

14:11But what counts in the end is the result.

14:14And the result is very promising for the rest of the World Cup.

14:17Good morning, Lucas. Good morning.

14:20Austria is back to the World Cup after 28 years.

14:24First, do you have high expectations?

14:30I have high expectations with this very Austrian team.

14:33They have showed in this very first game,

14:35after a tough beginning, what they are capable to do.

14:38Of course, as an Austrian, I support Austria.

14:41But generally, this World Cup has started in a very exciting way

14:45and it's worth watching.

14:46What are the most favorite ones among the other European countries, in your opinion?

14:54Well, if you observe the performance of European teams,

14:57it's a big variety of different results and different achievements so far.

15:04But we are in the beginning of the group phase,

15:06so there's not much to tell yet.

15:09Of course, European teams are in the forefront

15:12of what we as Europeans should observe.

15:14But this is a game and it's about sports

15:17and this is why fairness and true competition counts.

15:21And that's why may the best teams win in all the games.

15:24Okay.

15:25And in this World Cup,

15:26we also see many players who are born and raised in Europe,

15:30especially in France,

15:31who have chosen to play for their country of origin

15:35or the country of origin of their ancestors even.

15:38Why, in your opinion?

15:41I think this is part of today's world

15:44that even more and more people than ever before

15:47have more than one national identity

15:49due to their ancestors,

15:51due to their personal life story and so on.

15:53So it's absolutely fair enough

15:56that a player with, for example,

15:58Algerian roots like Luca Zidane,

16:01the son of Zinedine Zidane,

16:03would play for Algeria

16:04while his father played for France.

16:07I, for example, I'm in politics,

16:09not in football,

16:10but my mother is Dutch originally.

16:13My father is Austrian.

16:14And generally, if I compare it with the European level

16:17for European Parliament,

16:18somebody can run no matter in what country,

16:22as long as this person would be a European citizen.

16:24Okay.

16:25Lucas Mandl, Austrian member of the European Parliament,

16:28taking a break from politics

16:29to talk football with us here on Europe Today.

16:31Thank you so much for joining us.

16:34And what about France, Vincenzo?

16:36We can't not talk about France.

16:38It was a pretty good start for them, right?

16:39Yes, it was a brilliant start,

16:41a brilliant second half,

16:42especially after a first half dominated by Senegal.

16:47But at the end, France won 3-1.

16:49Bappé scored twice.

16:51And French supporters should be very happy

16:53because it wasn't easy.

16:54And especially the ones in the village of Ayat,

16:57because they also got pizza for free.

17:00Defender Maxence Lacroix

17:02decided to offer pizza

17:04to all the people of his hometown

17:06who gather to watch France World Cup games.

17:10So, really, a beau geste,

17:12a kind gesture from Lacroix,

17:14even though pizza is not exactly a French food.

17:18No, it's not.

17:18But isn't that a lovely way

17:19to bring the community together?

17:20That's one good thing, of course,

17:22that football can do.

17:23So, what should we look out for next, Vincenzo?

17:25Well, today, England against Croatia

17:27and Portugal against Congo

17:30are the most relevant matches.

17:34Let's see what Cristiano Ronaldo does

17:36after Messi, after Bappé.

17:38You know, Cristiano Ronaldo is 43 years old.

17:41He has often struggled in the World Cup.

17:43And so, this is really the last chance for him to win.

17:46And who are the other big stars

17:47we should look out for for this match?

17:50Briefly.

17:50The big stars?

17:51The big stars, of course,

17:53when we say Cristiano Ronaldo.

17:55I also will take a look to Vitinha,

17:57which, to me, is the best midfielder

17:59in the World Cup

18:00and he is the soul of the Portuguese team.

18:03A gripping, a gripping tournament.

18:05Vincenzo Genovese,

18:05thank you so much for that update.

18:07And that brings this edition of Europe Today to an end.

18:10Thank you so much for tuning in.

18:11As always, if you have any points for us,

18:13reach out at europetoday at euronews.com

18:15and take care and see you soon on Euronews.

18:27esttible.

18:27Euronews.

18:28Euronews.

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