Macron wants Washington to tell Ukraine “we are with you” as the G7 summit in Évian

Europeans now shoulder nearly the entire burden of Kyiv's war effort, while America still provides weapons and intelligence, France's president said on 15 June.

Emmanuel Macron made the case in a TF1 interview ahead of the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains. France hosts the three-day gathering through 17 June. Asked whether the United States remains a reliable ally, Macron answered that it does. Washington stays by Ukraine's side, he said, even as its role has shifted.

An ally whose role has shifted

A year and a half ago, the United States believed it could end the war quickly, Macron argued. It then grasped the full complexity, as Europe had. Today Washington no longer funds the bulk of the military effort. Europeans carry that weight instead. Even so, the country still supplies arms, shares intelligence, and exchanges information. Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea have also joined the financing, he added.

What Macron wants Washington to say

The French leader framed a clear ask for the G7 summit. The United States should declare, in his words: "We are with you, we will continue to support Ukraine, and we will increase the pressure on Russia to achieve a meaningful negotiation." He wants the bloc, meeting first with Trump on Monday evening and then with Zelenskyy, to rally around that message.

A peace format taking shape

Macron also set out his preferred negotiating structure. "The right negotiation is one in which Ukraine and Russia are at the table, but with Europeans and Americans present as well," he said. German government sources told Suspilne that the most realistic format would pair Ukraine and Russia with the United States and Europe. The hardest question, those sources said, is who speaks for Europe. They argued Kyiv now negotiates from a position of strength, because Russia cannot win on the battlefield and its economy is straining.

More pressure on Russia and the shadow fleet

Europe must keep raising the cost for Moscow, Macron said. He pointed to the Kremlin's shadow fleet, which moves oil to fund the war. Britain and France have run operations against that fleet over the past two weeks, he noted. Moreover, the remark lands the same day the EU adopted fresh sanctions on shadow-fleet vessels and operators.

Trump and Zelenskyy at Évian

Trump arrives in France on Monday and meets Macron that evening, US officials said. On 16 June, he joins a G7 summit working session that Zelenskyy will also attend. However, no one-on-one Trump–Zelenskyy meeting is currently scheduled. The two leaders might meet on the sidelines, an administration official said. At last year's G7 summit in Canada, Trump left early, and the gathering produced no joint statement on Ukraine.