G7 Leaders Agree to Step Up Pressure on Russia Over Ukraine War

US President Donald Trump said at the G7 summit on Tuesday that Russia should "make a deal" to end the war in Ukraine and signalled that Washington could soon reimpose sanctions on Russian oil, as leaders of the world's major economies agreed to step up pressure on Moscow to bring the conflict to an end.

Speaking after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the summit in the French resort of Evian-les-Bains, Trump indicated growing impatience with the Kremlin despite his previous efforts to engage Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The comments came as G7 leaders discussed fresh measures targeting Russia's energy sector and explored ways to push forward peace efforts, including the possibility of a direct meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

"Russia should make a deal" to end the war against Ukraine, Trump said after his talks with Zelensky.

Referring to the human cost of the conflict, now in its fifth year, Trump added: "The whole thing is ridiculous. So, yeah, I'm going to do whatever I can."

He also suggested that the United States would soon be in a position to restore sanctions on Russian oil exports after previously extending a waiver for cargoes already at sea.

"Soon we will be able to do that as the oil is now flowing" through the Strait of Hormuz after the deal with Iran to end the Middle East war, he said.

The remarks aligned with a broader push by G7 leaders to tighten economic pressure on Moscow.

A French diplomatic source said leaders had agreed to increase pressure through sanctions targeting Russia's oil and gas sectors.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there was broad agreement among G7 nations on the need to maintain pressure on Russia as developments on the battlefield shifted the strategic landscape.

"Ukraine has shown that it's able not just to defend itself but to take territory back and inflict quite significant losses on Russia," Starmer told Times Radio.

He added that Britain would impose a new package of sanctions, including measures against tankers involved in transporting liquefied natural gas, in an effort to force Moscow towards ending the war.

"There is a real sense of unity in the G7, a sort of shared consensus that things are changing," Starmer said.

Trump's meeting with Zelensky was closely watched as the US president has pursued a more direct line of communication with Putin while simultaneously facing calls from European allies to take a tougher stance on Russia.

Zelensky used the summit to renew his appeal for stronger sanctions, arguing that economic pressure remained the most effective tool for compelling Moscow to negotiate.

"Above all Putin does not want to end this, but he must be forced... first and foremost, through sanctions," Zelensky said in a message to Ukrainian reporters after the meeting.

The Ukrainian leader also presented photographs of the latest Russian attacks, including strikes that killed at least 11 people on Monday and sparked a fire at a landmark cathedral in Kyiv.

Alongside discussions on sanctions, diplomatic efforts to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Zelensky and Putin remained on the agenda.

Zelensky has said Putin rejected a proposal to meet during the G7 summit but that he had suggested to Trump the possibility of holding such talks in the United States.

"The aim remains to encourage a face-to-face meeting between Zelensky and Putin, but it is up to Moscow to give concrete signals of a willingness for peace that have been totally lacking until now," an Italian diplomatic source said.

The Ukraine conflict has now lasted longer than World War I, and while analysts say Kyiv's forces have become more effective on the battlefield, Russian missile and drone attacks continue to inflict heavy civilian casualties across the country.

The G7 summit's latest commitments underscored a growing consensus among Western allies that additional economic pressure may be needed if efforts to secure a negotiated end to the war are to gain momentum.