Kyiv floated the idea last summer, but the Trump administration balked. The president doesn’t want to be seen as giving Zelenskyy a win, said one European official who has had conversations inside the Trump administration.
But Kyiv has found other willing partners. The Ukrainians have signed a slew of industrial cooperation deals with the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada to produce drones at a scale that Ukrainian industry still struggles to achieve.
A group of British companies will deliver 120,000 drones to Ukraine this year under a series of deals signed over the past year. Canada entered into a similar drone agreement with Ukraine in May to build drones and ship them to the front. German defense giant Rheinmetall and multinational European missile makers have also partnered with Ukrainian companies on missile and armored vehicle programs this year.
Europe has also taken tentative steps toward seeking direct contact with the Russians, including a meeting in Moscow between the ambassadors of the U.K., Germany and France with a Russian representative.
But the EU is split on whether to seek a formal negotiating channel with Moscow. And it remains unclear whether Putin is willing to sit down with European leaders.
Ukraine has also pressed the U.S. and its allies to ratchet up economic pressure on Moscow, but has gotten mixed results — particularly from Washington. The EU adopted its 20th Russia sanctions package in April but held back a centerpiece maritime services ban on Russian oil tankers, hoping the U.S. will back the effort at the G7, two European officials said.
Washington has moved in the opposite direction. It has granted Russia sanctions relief and issued a series of 30-day oil waivers since March to stabilize markets roiled by the Iran war.
At the very least, keeping Trump interested in Ukraine’s fight would be a win for Kyiv and its backers. Macron is hoping to host Trump for a private dinner at Versailles to help shore up his engagement on Ukraine and other issues important to Europe. Trump, at least for now, does not plan to go.
Évian is just the first stop in a series of high-stakes diplomatic forums this summer. Poland and Ukraine are co-hosting a Ukraine recovery conference in Gdansk soon after the G7. Then comes a high-stakes NATO summit in Ankara, where Ukraine support and defense spending will figure prominently. And afterwards, Macron will convene a meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, which are the countries that have pledged to provide troops and support when the war ends.
Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch contributed to this report.
