As the 52nd annual G7 Summit came to a close on Wednesday in France, world leaders not only discussed diplomacy front and center, but also engaged in lighter conversations on the sidelines.There were many hot-mic moments in which President Donald Trump and European politicians joked with each other, but there were also behind-the-scenes conversations that were more serious. Here are the top five G7 hot mic moments this year:One notable moment involved French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who were heard discussing how to handle Trump.
“Yesterday, we had a difficult discussion” with Trump, Macron reportedly told Zelensky as the latter arrived at the summit. The two were walking around the Hotel Royal in Evian-les-Bains, France, when the conversation was overheard by astute observers.
Macron asked Zelensky to stay longer at the summit, to which Zelensky said he had to meet with EU leaders in Brussels, Belgium. Macron also asked if Zelensky had scheduled a bilateral meeting with Trump to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war. When Zelensky said he had not, Macron responded, “Okay, I will arrange that.” A one-on-one meeting was later held.
An end to the conflict in Ukraine remains elusive as Zelensky met with European politicians this week. Trump is expected to return his attention to Ukraine once the United States finalizes a peace deal with Iran. Before departing for France, Trump spoke with Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in separate phone calls.
