French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend next week's summit in France as part of efforts to consolidate international backing for Kyiv, while leaders from four Arab countries have also been invited for discussions on the escalating Middle East crisis.
The invitees would attend sessions on Tuesday at the summit of the Group of Seven leading economies – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States – to be held in the French lakeside resort of Evian on June 15-17.
Zelenskyy's participation "is very important for us because we need to rebuild consensus within the G7 in support of Ukraine on the various aspects of the war" with Russia, including the need for "negotiations," Macron said, a reference to differing opinions between European leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump.
To address the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran in late February, leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates would also be invited to a separate session on Tuesday.
The talks would focus on the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has "a real impact on our economies" due in particular to soaring fuel prices, and on "negotiations on Iran," Macron said.
