Chancellor Friedrich Merz, President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met in April to discuss the Iran war.Image: keystone
June 15, 2026, 2:49 p.mJune 15, 2026, 2:59 p.m
After agreeing on an agreement to end the Iran war, US President Donald Trump is preparing to implement the agreement with his allies at the G7 summit.
The four European member states of the group of democratic economic powers confirmed that night their willingness to take part in a “purely defensive, independent” military mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, which is so important for the oil trade.
“The agreement opens up an opportunity to restabilize the region and the global economy,” said a joint statement from Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Great Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
After celebrating his 80th birthday in Washington on Monday night, Trump set off for Évian, where the summit begins in the evening with a joint meal by the heads of state and government. The meeting takes place in the “Hotel Royal” – a five-star hostel with a view of Lake Geneva, which is hermetically and spaciously sealed off.
Donald Trump – seen here with First Lady Melania Trump – will travel to the G7 summit after his birthday party yesterday.Image: keystone
The start of the summit was accompanied by riots during anti-capitalist protests in Geneva, 45 kilometers from Évian.
Iran’s breakthrough is likely to determine the start of the summit
The Iran agreement is likely to set a positive tone for the summit of the seven leading industrial nations, which include the USA and the four European countries as well as Canada and Japan. Trump announced the agreement a few hours before his departure to Évian. This is likely to be a topic at dinner and will officially be on the summit agenda on Tuesday. Then the regional powers Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates should also join.
The heads of state of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (l.), and the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (r.), will also travel to the G7 summit.Image: EPA THE UAE PRESIDENTIAL COURT
In the event of an end to the war, the Europeans had already prepared, together with other allies, for a military mission in the Strait of Hormuz at a summit in Paris in April to secure one of the world’s most important trade routes.
It is still unclear when the deployment will begin. Trump is putting pressure on. He wants to start demining immediately after the signing of the agreement, which is scheduled for Friday.
Chance for detente with Trump before NATO summit
The Iran breakthrough offers an opportunity for transatlantic relations. The Europeans’ lack of support for the US and Israeli war had massively angered Trump. Before the important NATO summit in Ankara in July, the Iran agreement could now weld the transatlantic partners together again.
Positive effect on Ukraine diplomacy?
If this works in Évian, it could also have a positive impact on another diplomatic process that has recently stalled: the efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Until now, the USA was considered the sole mediator in the conflict. Recently, however, Trump has been primarily preoccupied with his own war in Iran and appears to have lost interest in Ukraine.
Now the E3 want to set new impulses together with him. Macron, Starmer and Merz – the so-called E3 – launched a new initiative last weekend together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj. The Europeans want to be at the negotiating table if there are new talks between Russia and Ukraine.
The so-called E3 – Friedrich Merz (l.), German Chancellor, Keir Starmer (mr), British Prime Minister and Emmanuel Macron (l.), French President – together with Volodymyr Zelenskyj (ml), President of Ukraine.Image: keystone
The problem: They don’t agree among themselves who should speak for them when it comes to Ukraine. The E3 initiative has been met with skepticism among Eastern European EU members such as Poland.
What else is on the agenda in Évian?
In addition to the two wars, the global economic situation will be a topic in Évian, as is the case at every G7 summit. This time it is likely to be primarily about a country that is putting the Western economic powers in a lot of trouble: China. How do you curb China’s record $1.2 trillion trade surplus? And how can dependence on China for the procurement of important raw materials that are needed for the production of batteries, electric motors or solar cells be reduced? These are questions that the Group of Seven will discuss.
Will probably be the topic at the G7 summit – Xi Jinping’s (r.) China.Image: keystone
Also on the French presidency’s agenda: artificial intelligence, irregular migration, protection of minors in the digital space, the fight against drug trafficking as well as Ebola and cancer.
There should not be a big final declaration with all the results. This avoids the agonizing struggle over individual formulations and avoids the danger that Trump will ultimately withdraw completely. He has already canceled a G7 final declaration on the flight back from a summit.
However, there should be explanations on individual topics. Where there is no agreement, the French Presidency has the option of simply summarizing the status of discussions (Chair’s Summary). (nil/sda/dpa)