On stage, the French president was beaming.
As the G7 summit drew to a close on Wednesday after three days of high-stakes diplomacy, Emmanuel Macron hailed what he called an "objectively successful" gathering, pointing to a joint declaration endorsed by all leaders — including US President Donald Trump.
In the weeks leading up to the gathering, there had been widespread speculation that President Trump might skip the summit altogether or leave early.
French diplomats also worried about potential clashes, diplomatic missteps and a lack of unity that could have rendered the G7 format useless on the global stage.
A year earlier in Canada, Trump had departed the summit early as war broke out between Israel and Iran. The Canadian G7 had also failed to produce a joint position on key issues, while US tariffs against allies deepened uncertainty and left EU partners rattled.
