Good morning from Brussels. This is Mared Gwyn – but let’s take you first to my colleague Angela Skujins, who brings you this G7 preview from the shores of Lake Geneva.
The second day of talks at the French lakeside spa town of Évian-les-Bains is getting underway, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flying in early Tuesday morning to make an appearance.
As Maria Tadeo and I report on-the-ground, the mood is hopeful, hyped but also highly militarised. As I write this at 7am on Tuesday, large helicopters can be seen swarming over Lake Geneva. Over 1,000 military personnel, plus specialised police and gendarmerie units, have been deployed by French Air and Space Force, to secure the area in a move to prepare the sleepy spa town for what is to come.
On Tuesday’s agenda: Trump’s renewed focus on Ukraine. Late Sunday night, US President Donald Trump stunned onlookers by trumpeting a potential end to the 15-week Iran war which could be minted as early as Friday in Switzerland, with Europeans left wondering what this renewed attention would look like for Ukraine.
“We had a very good conversation yesterday with President Zelenskyy and President Putin, and I see maybe we can do something, I really do. I think they're both open to it," Trump said sitting next to Macron at a G7 press conference on Monday.
"So, you know, now that this (Iran) is finished, we're going to be focusing on that (and) see if we can get that one done."
Although there is no scheduled bilateral between Trump and Zelenskyy formally on the cards for Tuesday, many on the summit’s sidelines are wondering whether Washington would bend an ear to Kyiv, and what Zelenskyy would say.
What is clear is that the European allies support the Ukrainian president as he leads his country through another year fighting Russian aggression. Much of the discussion on Tuesday will centre on how to transition temporary European support for the war-torn nation into proper security guarantees, so that if a ceasefire is brokered, it will last.
Remember to keep up to date with our coverage from the G7 summit on our live blog.
NATO Ramstein exercises underway: As the G7 begins to digest the contents of Trump's Iran deal, NATO is conducting a live integrated air and missile defense military exercise across 20 NATO nations including Finland, Norway, and Kallas airbase in Sweden where our NATO correspondent Shona Murray is.
NATO's Ramstein Flag 26 military air exercise involves counter anti-air space invasion operations across 18 countries, and 200 different military aircraft. It's the biggest NATO exercise in terms of territory covered.
The exercise itself simulates a Russian attack into NATO territory which blocks NATO countries from accessing part of its air space.
Air defence is one of the most pressing issues for NATO - given the drone incursions in recent weeks including in Romania where two people were injured. So, NATO says it's focussing on the need to counter modern and emerging threats in a practical sustainable way.
As is a key priority for all NATO exercises - Ramstein Flag '26 is concerned with displaying deterrence and defense capabilities, as well as offensive tactics to degrade and deter adversaries as and when they attack.
All of this comes at a time when Europe needs to step up in this area. As part of the Trump administration's plan to scale back its commitment to NATO, under the 'America First' doctrine, the United States is withdrawing the use of several of their combat aircrafts like the F35 and F16s for use to allies even in times of war. This includes cutting the number of maritime reconnaissance aircraft - from 26 to 15. European allies say they're ready to fill the gap, but exercises such as this one will help ascertain how much there is to fill. Catch up with more of Shona’s reporting on today’s live show.
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