But there’s little indication that the United States, which has eased energy sanctions against Russia amid a spike in global prices, wants to follow suit or indeed stump up any additional cash to back Kyiv’s war effort.
The other hot-button issue is who should lead any future talks and what approach they should take. Zelenskyy has insisted in recent meetings with EU leaders that Europe should be at the table, not as a mediator but as an ally with shared interests.
European and Ukrainian officials said ahead of the G7 that they want to get the U.S. onside with a strong common negotiating position — dropping any suggestion that Kyiv should cede territory.
Germany, France and the United Kingdom — a trio known as the “E3” powers — last week took their first tentative steps toward engaging directly with Moscow, sending their envoys to Moscow to speak with Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin.
The trio took a cautious approach, reiterating EU leaders’ demands for a complete and immediate ceasefire, robust security guarantees for Ukraine, and the use of the current contact line as a starting point for any talks.
But if Trump gets involved, he may not share Europe’s view of how the talks should go — or even want them at the table.
“It turns out that the only person in the planet — it speaks to the president’s role on the world stage — who can bring the two sides together and try to negotiate the end of this war is President Trump,” said a senior Trump administration official.