Welcome back, this newsletter comes to you from the hall of the Justus Lipsius, as I am getting kicked out from the premises of the European Council summit after a whirlwind week of high-stakes diplomacy running between the placid shores of Lake Geneva in Évian-les-Bains and a too-hot-to handle Brussels.
Un jeune homme si brillant. Frankly, you have to give it to Emmanuel Macron.
The French president orchestrated a near-perfect G7 summit, balancing a mix of flattery, self-interest, European charm and a bit of luck to land a joint declaration with a clear win for Ukraine — and stage the end of hostilities between the US and Iran in none other than the Palace of Versailles.
None of that was a given going into the summit, certainly not after the disastrous G7 meeting held in Canada last year, in which Donald Trump bailed early as war broke out between Israel and Iran, leaders found no common ground on Russia, and the summit unfolded in an atmosphere of confrontation.
Macron called it "the Évian moment," a turning point for Ukraine and Europe.
