The Group of Seven summit in the French spa town of Evian-les-Bains concluded on Wednesday with a joint pledge to tighten sanctions on Russia’s oil and gas sectors and a firm reiteration of support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The leaders’ communiqué, issued on the final day of the three-day gathering, signalled a more coordinated Western position on the war, explicitly linking further economic pressure to Russia’s war economy and acknowledging Kyiv’s improved battlefield position. Viewed from European capitals, the language marked a notable hardening—one that could strengthen Ukraine’s hand in any future peace negotiations with Moscow. The statement also welcomed the tentative US-Iran agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz, a diplomatic breakthrough that dominated much of the summit’s informal discussion, and committed the G7 to diversifying energy supply routes away from Chinese-dominated critical mineral chains.

Against this substantive backdrop, President Donald Trump provided a moment of levity—and a blunt assertion of hierarchy—when he arrived roughly an hour late to the morning working session on global economic security. Striding into the room as other leaders, including host Emmanuel Macron and invited guest Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, were already seated, Trump paused at the head of the table and declared, “I’m the boss.” The remark drew laughter from the assembled heads of state and government, with Macron responding in English, “How are you?” Trump, who celebrated his 80th birthday during the summit and has long cultivated a persona of executive dominance, later complained that the meeting room was “too hot,” a detail that French and Italian dispatches noted with a mixture of amusement and bemusement. British prime minister Keir Starmer received a pat on the shoulder as Trump took his place to Macron’s right, a gesture that London-based analysts interpreted as a signal of the transactional warmth that now characterises the US-UK relationship.

From Washington’s perspective, the “boss” quip was consistent with an administration that views multilateral gatherings less as collegial negotiations than as opportunities to project American primacy. Yet the joint statement on Ukraine suggested that, behind the theatricals, a degree of substantive alignment was achieved. French and German officials, speaking on background, acknowledged that Trump’s deal with Iran had shifted the summit’s focus, creating space for a more unified stance on Russia. In Moscow, state media downplayed the sanctions pledge, but Russian financial analysts noted that the explicit targeting of oil and gas revenues could compound existing strains on the Kremlin’s war budget. Tehran, meanwhile, cautiously welcomed the G7’s endorsement of the Strait of Hormuz accord, though hardline newspapers warned that American reliability remained suspect.

Looking ahead, the summit’s outcomes will be tested by implementation. The promised sanctions tightening requires follow-through from individual G7 members, and the Iran deal remains provisional, dependent on verification mechanisms that are still being negotiated. The emphasis on reducing reliance on China for critical minerals signals a longer-term structural shift in supply chains, but it also exposes the G7 to friction with Beijing at a moment when trade tensions are already elevated. For Ukraine, the unified rhetorical support is welcome, but President Volodymyr Zelensky’s team will be watching closely to see whether the promised economic pressure on Russia translates into tangible constraints on Moscow’s military operations. As the leaders departed Lake Geneva’s shores, the summit left an impression of a club reaffirming its purpose, even as its most powerful member continued to rewrite its rules of engagement.