G7 Summit : Hot Mic Catches Macron Telling Zelenskyy Of 'Difficult' Talk With Trump

A hot microphone caught French President Emmanuel Macron telling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about a “difficult” discussion with US President Donald Trump, shortly before Trump urged Russia to agree to a peace deal, according to the New York Post.

“Yesterday we had a difficult discussion with President Trump,” Macron told Zelenskyy on Tuesday at the Hotel Royal on the shores of Lake Geneva. Cameras and microphones captured the private remark before a working session, the New York Post reported.

Later, Trump told reporters he would do whatever he could to end the conflict. “Look, Russia should make a deal,” Trump said told AP. “I settled eight wars. This was the one I thought was going to be the easiest to settle.” Trump’s claim to have ended eight wars has been widely disputed. The G7 summit on June 16 exposed diplomatic frictions as leaders debated Western support for Kyiv alongside negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Tensions And Sideline Diplomacy

The exchange occurred as Macron and Zelenskyy walked through the hotel grounds. Speaking in English, Macron encouraged the Ukrainian leader to remain longer at the summit. Zelenskyy declined, noting he had scheduled travel to Brussels later in the week.

Macron then asked if Zelenskyy had arranged a face-to-face meeting with Trump. Zelenskyy replied that he requested the sit-down during a Sunday phone call to wish the US president a happy 80th birthday. “OK, I will arrange that,” Macron replied, the NYP reported.

Trump arrived nearly 50 minutes late to Tuesday’s Ukraine-focused session. He initially ignored the Ukrainian president, who was welcomed by other G7 leaders. The two men eventually discussed matters briefly at the conclusion of the session. Zelenskyy, who also spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines, later shared photographs on social media showing the pair seated across from each other in conversation.

Western Support For Kyiv

European diplomats described the tone of the Ukraine meeting as constructive. Officials used the summit to argue that Russia sits in a weaker strategic position, urging Trump to strengthen US support.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pointed to a shifting battlefield momentum on X. “The tide is turning for Ukraine. The situation in 2026 is very different from 2025. Ukraine is bravely holding the frontline,” she posted, according to AP. “Russia’s fatigue is openly showing. That’s the time to double down on ⁠our support.”

Zelenskyy posted on X that he secured important commitments from the G7 to advance diplomacy and end the war. “The key focus is to strengthen air defence for Ukraine and advance diplomacy, to make Russia end its war,” Zelenskyy posted on X, according to AP. “Peace is needed.”

The agreements include more air defence missiles, production licences, a winter support package, and a US backstop across the efforts. “It is key that everything discussed be implemented. Russia must come to learn that its war will never be normalised. I thank everyone who’s helping,” he wrote to AP.