President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to have warmed up to Ukraine's war efforts against Russia, while telling fellow G-7 leaders, "I'm the boss," as the group welcomed the U.S.' peace deal with Iran.
Trump's comment – a tongue-in-cheek admission of an unspoken truth hanging over the June 15-17 Group of Seven summit in France's Evian-les-Bains – followed a joint leaders' statement that could bolster Kyiv's growing leverage in potential peace talks with Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his allies came to the G-7 hoping to impress upon Trump that Ukraine's fightback is delivering results and that Russia is in no position to be dictating terms for any peace deal.
The joint statement and comments from leaders suggest Trump has warmed to Zelenskyy's argument after years of scepticism.
However, any hopes of strongarming Moscow into peace talks still rely on Trump's commitments, which can be elusive.
