Zelensky, Arab states invited to G7 for talks on Ukraine, Mideast wars

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron Wednesday said his Ukrainian counterpart would attend the G7 summit next week in France to “rebuild consensus” on support for Ukraine, while leaders of four Arab states would be invited for talks on the Middle East conflict.

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.

President Volodymyr Zelensky’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 US 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.

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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.

He made the comments during a discussion with civil society representatives at the Elysee presidential palace.

Following a dinner for the G7 leaders on Monday and the two sessions focused on the crises in Ukraine and the Middle East, the “North-South partnership” will be on the agenda, Macron added.

“In addition to the IMF, the World Bank, and the African Development Bank, we will bring into this session partners with whom we have built this agenda, in particular South Korea, India, Kenya” and Brazil, he said.

On Wednesday, the summit will end with a session “on global imbalances” and “the issue of growth”, preceded on June 11 by a videoconference called “World Convergence Summit for Growth”, which will include China and several other emerging countries, Macron said.

The summit will also include discussions with tech companies from the United States and other countries, “to talk both about our agenda of protection and regulation and to address questions of sovereignty” and cybersecurity, the president added.