Trump will not meet with Zelensky: the U.S. President left the G7 summit in Canada early and criticized Macron

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he left the G7 summit in Canada early, but not to negotiate a ceasefire in the Middle East.

He made the clarification via his Truth Social account.

Trump harshly criticized French President Emmanuel Macron, saying:

“Publicity-hungry Macron falsely claimed I left the G7 summit in Canada to return to Washington to work on a ‘ceasefire’ between Israel and Iran. Not true! He has no idea why I’m heading back to Washington, but it’s certainly not about a ceasefire. It’s something far more serious. Whether intentional or not — Emmanuel always gets things mixed up. Stay tuned!”

Despite Trump’s denial, The New York Times reported that he had instructed his special envoy, Steven Witkoff, and Vice President J.D. Vance to meet with Iranian officials later this week. If the meeting happens, Iran may be represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

CNN previously reported that Trump had asked his administration to urgently arrange a meeting with Iranian officials, aiming to gauge Tehran’s sincerity in pursuing a diplomatic resolution to its conflict with Israel.

As a result of his early departure from the summit, Trump is not expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, contrary to earlier plans. Politico also confirmed that Trump will miss the scheduled meeting with Zelensky.

Meanwhile, Zelensky is en route to Canada, where he will reportedly engage with the other six G7 members, but not with the U.S. president.

Trump explained that he would hold off on new sanctions against Russia for now, pending the outcome of potential peace talks on Ukraine and Europe’s response:

“Europe talks about it but hasn’t acted yet. Let’s see how they follow through… Don’t forget, sanctions cost us a lot. It’s not just signing a paper. We’re talking billions and billions of dollars. Sanctions are no small matter,” Trump said.

Macron, however, claimed he had discussed new sanctions with Trump, who, according to the French president, reacted “positively” and gave assurances that he would not block new U.S. sanctions proposed by Republicans. Trump has not confirmed this and even criticized Macron following his departure from Canada.

At the same time, Trump issued a sharp warning on Iran:

“Iran should’ve signed the ‘deal’ I told them to. What a shame and waste of human life. Simply put, Iran must never have nuclear weapons. I’ve said it over and over again! Everyone must evacuate Tehran immediately!” Trump posted.

Despite rising tensions and additional U.S. military deployments to the Middle East, Trump’s team insists that America does not currently plan to intervene directly in a war with Iran.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth explained that Trump hopes Iran will still agree to a nuclear deal, and that the movement of aircraft, air defense systems, and counter-drone systems to the region is aimed at protecting U.S. citizens and interests — and creating conditions for a peaceful agreement:

“The president’s position hasn’t changed. What you’re seeing is peace through strength and America First. We’re in a defensive posture to be strong while seeking peace. And we do hope that’s what will happen. As the president has said from the beginning: Iran must not have nuclear weapons. That position hasn’t changed. And we believe they can abandon that goal peacefully,” Hegseth said.