It is the Donald Trump of his best days who landed in Évian-les-Bains, on the French shore of Lake Geneva, at a G7 that until a few weeks ago it was feared he would boycott. He claims “the excellent work” done for the agreement with Iran and assures that the Strait of Hormuz “will be completely reopened on Friday”. And, having received the promise of a contribution from the allies for free navigation, he sets the next objective: “It’s time to focus on Ukraine.”
“Now it’s Ukraine’s turn,” and Zelensky proposes a three-way summit
«Yesterday we had an excellent conversation with President Zelensky and President Putin – observed Trump – and I see the possibility of doing something on that front too. I believe that both are open to a solution.” The Ukrainian leader, who was also expected in Évian, revealed that he had suggested to the American president a three-way meeting with Putin in the United States: “It is a format that would make it much more difficult for the Russian president to refuse,” he explained, recalling how the appeals made to the Kremlin so far have fallen on deaf ears. The dossier will be at the center of the second day of the summit.
The international relaunch and the criticism at home
While he continues to be criticized at home – the New York Times reproaches him for having ended a war he himself started without achieving the objectives – Trump tries to relaunch himself from the audience of the Big Seven, defining the memorandum of understanding with Iran as a “powerful document”, very different from the one signed by Barack Obama in 2015. The newfound feeling with Emmanuel Macron was decisive, as he had focused on rapprochement with the occupant of the White House for his last major international appointment: after having negotiated him with contemptuous tones just a few months ago, the tycoon returned to praising him. “Emmanuel is a special friend to me, we have a fantastic relationship,” he said. The summit will close on Wednesday with a dinner in his honor in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles.
Hormuz, the concrete node and the European offer
If personal relations with European leaders seem to be on the rise, on a practical level there remains work to be done. «The priority is to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. And without tolls”, said Macron in a pre-summit interview, announcing that “France and Great Britain are ready to take the lead in a mission in the Strait, with the support of Holland and Italy”, once the US-Iran agreement is effectively implemented. A curtain opened when Trump, looking at Macron, observed: “We don’t need much help”, only to correct himself: “But I don’t think it would be a bad idea to have one or two ships from some country, yours would be fine, because you never know”. The response from the French president is ready: «We are ready to have fighters on site for reconnaissance missions starting tomorrow. Frigates can be deployed within 48 hours, then the aircraft carrier. In short, we are ready.”