UKRAINE PERSPECTIVE

Kyiv, June 15, 2026. The G7 opening at Evian resembles no other summit for Ukraine. For the first time since the start of Russia's large-scale invasion, Ukrainian media is describing a "summit of diplomatic geometry": Volodymyr Zelensky will sit at the table of the Seven, but within a specific and limited framework—a collective working session, without an official bilateral with Donald Trump, as confirmed by a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity, cited by Espreso and Ukrainska Pravda.

On the eve of the summit, Zelensky and Trump spoke by phone for thirty to thirty-five minutes. According to Dmytro Lytvyn, the Ukrainian president's communications advisor, the conversation was "quite substantive, covering everything from birthday wishes to diplomacy and war or peace." Zelensky himself posted a summary on X, emphasizing that he "informed the president of the situation on the ground and how our position has strengthened." He added: "We agreed to discuss this further at our G7 meeting. We have good ideas that could help advance peace and protect lives." These formulations, noted by Ukrinform and Ukrainska Pravda, are analyzed in Kyiv as a signal of continuity in U.S.-Ukrainian dialogue, despite the suspension of bilateral U.S. military aid.

On the European side, the three major powers—the United Kingdom, France, and Germany—worked with Zelensky at a London meeting to build a five-point plan intended to serve as the basis for negotiations. While the details of this framework remain classified, German government sources cited by the Kyiv Post indicate it rests on an immediate ceasefire along current front lines and long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, backed by a multinational force. The same source offered an assessment that stands in sharp contrast to the rhetoric of recent months: "Today, Ukraine is in a new position of strength. Russia cannot win militarily, and its economy is struggling. This is why, for the first time, a window of opportunity for diplomacy may slowly open."

However, Ukrainian press emphasizes several friction points. First, the absence of a Zelensky-Trump bilateral contrasts with Trump's dense bilateral schedule, during which he will meet separately with Macron, then leaders of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and India at Versailles—with Ukraine notably absent from this list, according to Espreso. Second, the question of European representation in future negotiations remains open: the proposed format (Ukraine, Russia, United States, Europe) raises "structural disagreements" over who will serve as the European spokesperson, an unresolved question heading into the summit, the Kyiv Post notes. TSN Ukraine, meanwhile, points out that the Ukrainian working session constitutes the "first working session" on the official G7 calendar, a sign that the Ukrainian dossier remains a top priority on the collective agenda of the Seven.

The tone adopted by Ukrainian media oscillated between caution and determination: caution in the face of diplomatic asymmetry (no bilateral), determination grounded in the narrative of "strengthened position" that Zelensky intends to defend in person at Evian.