Ukraine's Zelensky seeks G7 support over Russian attacks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will on Tuesday urge the Group of Seven to provide more backing for the war against Russia even after US President Donald Trump left the summit early due to developments in the Middle East.

The G7 group of wealthy nations has struggled to find unity over conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East as Trump has overtly expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and has imposed tariffs on many of the allies present.

Zelensky is due to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the morning before attending a G7 working breakfast on "A strong and sovereign Ukraine", accompanied by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

Trump said on Monday he needed to be back in Washington as soon as possible due to the situation in the Middle East, where escalating attacks between Iran and Israel have raised risks of a broader regional conflict.

He later said his early departure from the summit had "nothing to do with" working on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, however, denying comments by French President Emmanuel Macron who had said the US president leaving could be a positive sign of a potential deal.

A European Union diplomat said all remaining G7 members wanted to stay to meet Zelensky and continue conversations.

Trump did agree to a group statement calling for a resolution of the Israel-Iran conflict.

"We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza," the statement said.

The statement said Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror and that Israel has the right to defend itself.

Last week, Zelensky said he planned to discuss continued support for Ukraine, sanctions against Russia, and future financing for Kyiv's reconstruction efforts.

Trump said on Monday that the then Group of Eight had been wrong to expel Russia after Putin ordered the occupation of Crimea in 2014.

Though the US president stopped short of saying Russia should be reinstated in the group, his comments had already raised doubts about how much Zelensky could achieve in a scheduled Trump meeting.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Trump was right to assert that it had been a big mistake to expel Russia from the G8. The Kremlin said the G7 was no longer significant for Russia and looked "rather useless" now.

On trade, Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have said they have finalized a trade deal reached last month, while Carney said he and the US president had agreed to seal a new economic and trade relationship within the next 30 days.

G7 leaders prepared several draft documents seen by Reuters, including on migration, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals. None of them have been approved by the United States, according to sources briefed on the documents.

Without Trump, it is unclear if there will be any declarations, a European diplomat said.

Carney also invited non-G7 members Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea and Brazil, as he tries to shore up alliances elsewhere and diversify Canada's exports away from the United States.

Canada's relationship with India has been tense since former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India's government of involvement in the June 2023 murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader in Canada.

Modi's government has denied involvement in Nijjar's killing and has accused Canada of providing a safe haven for Sikh separatists. It is Modi's first visit to Canada in a decade.

(Reuters)