The leaders of the G-7 countries - the seven most developed economies in the world - were unanimous at their summit in France that the balance of power has shifted in favor of Ukraine in its war with Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said, quoted by Reuters, writes BTA.
“Ukraine is advancing, resisting, and Russia is retreating”, Macron said, adding that he considered the G-7 summit a success.
“This G-7 meeting is visibly successful. It was a moment of unity, substantial discussions and real cooperation between the leaders gathered here,” the French president said at a press conference, stressing that the meeting “allowed us to coordinate very closely the response to the crises and to work on the biggest challenges of our time.”
Macron also noted that US President Donald Trump and other leaders had acknowledged that Russia had no desire for peace in the war with Ukraine, and noted that during this meeting the US had shown a real change in its approach to Ukraine.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that at the upcoming European Council summit she would propose the appointment of a single European negotiator with Russia on Ukraine, Reuters and ANSA reported.
Meloni added at a briefing after the end of the G7 summit in Evian, France, that it would be very difficult to propose a single negotiator for Ukraine from a large EU member state and that it was it would be better if it was from a medium-sized country.
The Italian Prime Minister also said that the multiplication of diplomatic groups within Europe risks creating confusion and that the eurozone needs to speak with one voice towards Russia.
Meloni also said that an agreement was reached with US President Donald Trump on Ukraine at the G7 summit.
She said she was satisfied with the G7 forum, which she described as a very important meeting. Meloni stressed that the unexpected convergence of positions between the participants in this forum was excellent news. “We worked well together, converging positions, something that cannot always be taken for granted“, Meloni said.
She also stressed that her personal relationship with Donald Trump had not changed. “There were no reproaches, we did not talk about what happened. "We both have a very strong character and we are both leaders who defend national interests resolutely. We don't need to go into an explanatory mode with each other when we disagree on something. And in the end, everyone understands the other's point of view and therefore we started from what we can do in the coming months, as we did the last time we met in a situation like this," said Meloni.
Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Meloni said that Italy will see in the next 60 days what it will do. In the meantime, preparatory work will be carried out at a technical level and authorization will be requested from the Italian parliament to participate in a possible mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, only when such a mission becomes a reality.
The prime minister said that the government will request parliamentary authorization in time so that parliamentarians can hold an adequate debate. However, she recalled that it is too early to talk about these things, as the framework of the mission has not yet been defined.