The Group of Seven wrapped up three days of talks in the French Alps on Wednesday with discussions on the contentious future of artificial intelligence.
Executives of leading AI companies, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, attended discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders of industrial nations in the lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains. French President Emmanuel Macron will now host Trump at a glitzy dinner at the Palace of Versailles before Trump jets back to Washington on Wednesday.
The G7 leaders spent the bulk of the meetings discussing the war between Russia and Ukraine and a tentative deal to end the Iran war. Trump did not reveal details of the agreement expected to be signed ceremonially by the United States and Iran on Friday in Switzerland, saying "nobody knows what it is, but it's very strong."
The G7 includes France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Guest nations at this summit include Brazil, Egypt, India, Kenya, South Korea, Qatar, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates.
Here is the latest:
Trump again denies $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran, traces it to Vance statement
“JD made a statement. It was a perfect statement, and they reported it in a very strange way. But that’s because that’s why it’s fake news, I guess,” Trump said.
He emphasized that the U.S. is “not investing any money” even though he said Tehran will need aid to recover.
Trump says an Iran deal will be signed ‘shortly’ and that a copy has been sent to Israel
Amid conflicting messages from Trump and top administration officials about whether an initial deal to end the war in Iran had already been signed, Trump said the agreement could be signed “maybe tomorrow” or the next day, meaning Thursday or Friday.
Trump recalled his years as a developer and said, “My whole life is all about deals,” and that sometimes “Crazy things happen with deals.”
But he added, “We are going to most likely sign a deal.” He said Iran wants “to sign a deal, and they’ve been acting very appropriately.”
Exactly what the deal entails is a matter of confusion since Trump and his administration have refuted publicly reported details without providing concrete details, they say are correct.
Trump also said a copy of the deal would be released and that the U.S. sent a copy to Israel.
Trump shifts tone on US allies, praises their support for Iran agreement
After complaining for months that U.S. allies were doing too little to help the U.S. in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, Trump on Wednesday quickly shifted to praise for their support of a deal.
“The past two days have provided a chance to discuss the details of this historic agreement with many of our closest friends and allies, including the G7 nations and many presidents and prime ministers,” Trump said in remarks at the summit.
It comes after U.S. allies issued a statement welcoming the framework of a deal to extend the U.S.-Iran ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said, “They all put out statements saying they love this deal, because they want to see it over.”
Trump says negotiating an end to the Iran war buoyed the stock market
The president suggested that fears of a weakening U.S. economy were a big driver for the administration’s work to negotiate an initial deal to end the Iran war.
“Every time we talked about the possibility of peace, the stock market shot up like a rocket ship,” Trump said. “The stock market is more brilliant than anybody there is.”
Trump also said that the “one thing I didn’t want to see is, I didn’t want to see economic catastrophe.” He said that “could have happened” if the war had continued.
“The one president I did not want to be was the late, great Herbert Hoover,” Trump said, referring to the president whose policies helped exacerbate the Great Depression.
Macron defends red carpet treatment for Trump
French President Emmanuel Macron defended his decision to roll out the red carpet for Trump, including a dinner at the Palace of Versailles later Wednesday.
“Versailles is a diplomatic tool and an instrument of influence,” Macron said.
Using a soccer analogy, Macron said he approaches diplomacy like the French national team: “Whether I’m playing at home or away, my goal is to score goals. And when I host other teams, I try to give them a nice welcome.”
Macron says he has always trusted Trump
Macron said he has “always trusted President Trump” because they both have “always spoken frankly.”
That applies on U.S. tariffs issues, Macron said, after Trump threatened 100% tariff on French wines unless a European digital tax is dropped. Macron is still seeking a compromise that would avoid U.S. tariffs from taking effect.
“Partners should never impose tariffs on one another or create instability,” Macron said.
Macron says US limit on cutting-edge Anthropic AI is a ‘bad thing’
The French leader is taking aim at a Trump administration directive preventing the use of Anthropic's latest artificial intelligence models by foreign nationals.
He said it is “a good thing” that U.S. officials recognize that cutting-edge AI models could be dangerous. “What do they fear? That these models could be used by others to attack them or attack us,” he said.
But the “very strong decision” from the Trump administration is also “a bad thing,” he said. “The reaction is in some regards strictly nationalist.”
Anthropic said it has taken its latest artificial intelligence models, known as Fable 5 and Mythos 5, offline to comply with the directive. The AI giant said it did not believe the steps taken by the government were warranted by the concern it flagged about a potential security issue.
Macron describes ‘an Evian moment’ on Ukraine
Macron said the summit, attended by Zelenskyy, helped convince Trump that Russia currently has no serious intention of negotiating peace.
It’s too early to say whether there would be a clear “before” and “after” the Evian summit, Macron said — future developments will determine its impact.
“But there was an Evian moment, certainly on Ukraine,” he said.
Macron warns of the risks of artificial intelligence
G7 leaders discussed the revolutionary technology on Wednesday, the summit’s last day.
The French leader, the summit host, called for regulation.
“No one — neither political leaders nor business leaders — can any longer ignore the impact of AI on our democracies, on our societies. That is why the possibility and the necessity of regulation have now become imperative,” he said.
Italy’s leader says the US-Iran deal created a positive atmosphere at the summit
Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni said the existence of a deal gave leaders an opportunity to show unity among Western allies on major global crises.
“The U.S.-Iran agreement … clearly had a positive influence” on the summit’s climate, and all the leaders congratulated Trump, she said.
Talking to reporters at the end of the meetings, she said discussions were dominated by the war in Ukraine and developments in the Middle East and Gulf, adding that G7 leaders agreed on the need to sustain support for Kyiv and “maintain high pressure on Moscow.”
Meloni said Western unity is “one of the most effective tools” to create conditions for negotiations, with the goal of direct talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
She said Zelenskyy had shown a “sincere attitude” toward a solution, while “no serious signals have arrived from Moscow.”
Thune on why Trump is derailing Jay Clayton hearing: ‘Good question’
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday that Republicans still plan to move forward with a confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton, the president’s nominee for director of national intelligence, despite Trump saying in an early morning social media post that he wanted to cancel it.
“Chairman Cotton is planning to proceed, as you all know, with the hearing,” Thune told reporters. “And then from there on, we’ll just have to take it a day at a time until we get more clarity on what the White House position is on this.”
Senate Republicans had hoped Clayton’s nomination would help break the impasse over renewing a key national security surveillance authority that lapsed last week amid Democratic opposition to Trump’s temporary DNI pick, Bill Pulte.
Asked Wednesday why Trump was now holding up the effort, Thune offered a blunt response: “Good question.”
Macron says China is key source of global economic imbalances
Macron cited what he described as China’s industrial overcapacity, excessive subsidies and weak domestic consumption.
The French president said Europe needs to invest more and modernize its economies, while the United States must address its fiscal and trade deficits.
Macron hails initial US-Iran deal
The French president says it’s a “very good deal” and that U.S. allies in the G7 support it “because it’s an agreement that puts a stop to a situation of great instability that had terrible consequences for our economies.”
It’s due to be signed Friday.
At his news conference, Macron is detailing the statements — nine in all — that the summit produced, on cancer, rare earths, the Ebola outbreak in Congo and other topics.
Macron hails G7 convergence on Ukraine, says Trump backed defense support
Macron said the Evian summit produced an “unprecedented convergence” among G7 leaders, including Trump, in supporting Ukraine, after he invited Zelenskyy to take part in the gathering.
Macron said “we all agreed to increase the supply of air defense capabilities, additional systems and interceptors, as well as long-range capabilities.”
Trump “emphasized the mobilization of the American defense industry and its ability to provide such equipment,” Macron told a news conference.
Macron also praised the leaders’ agreement to increase pressure on Russia, including through stronger sanctions, as “extremely important.”
Macron hails G7 summit as a success
At his news conference closing out the 3-day summit that he hosted, the French president is detailing the progress he says was made.
“It was a moment of unity, of high-quality discussions and of real cooperation between the leaders,” Macron said.
Trump not certain on whether Friday signing ceremony of potential Iran deal will happen
When asked how confident he is that Friday’s ceremonial signing will take place, Trump remarked on the unpredictability of deals.
“You never know with deals, do you? But you’re going to find out pretty soon,” Trump said.
He added: “I think it’ll be done. They want to sign. They want to get back to a normal life.”
Trump said the memorandum of understanding that he signed with Tehran is “a very strong one” and “a long and, you know, pretty detailed memorandum that goes into a regular contract.”
India’s Modi tells Trump safety of Indian mariners is of ‘utmost importance’
Earlier this month, the U.S. military said an American aircraft fired “precision munitions” into the engine room of the Palau-flagged vessel M/T Settebello. The incident in the Gulf of Oman killed three Indian sailors, Indian officials said.
“Mr. President, you are aware, across the world, Indian seafarers in hundreds of thousands are working, and they’re performing their duties across global maritime trade routes, including the Strait of Hormuz. And their safety is of utmost importance to us,” Modi told Trump as they met on the sidelines of the summit.
Modi said he’s “confident” the issue of seafarers will be a top priority during implementation of the agreement between the United States and Iran.
Asked for words of condolence for the families, Trump said, “It’s a tough profession. There’s no question about it. And we work together on it.”
“This has been happening throughout time, but we work together on it,” he added. “We love all of those people. They’re great people.”
Trump again defends Pulte as acting DNI
The president told reporters that Pulte, who is poised to take over as acting director of national intelligence on Friday, will be in the job “as long as it takes to get everybody else approved.”
As he sat alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump said the speedy process to get Clayton formally installed is a “rush act by the Democrats,” although Republicans control the Senate and worked expeditiously to move Clayton’s nomination.
“Why are they afraid of this guy? They’re so afraid of him,” Trump said, referring to Pulte. “They’ll do anything not to have Pulte go in there.”
Trump praises Modi’s looks and negotiating skills
Trump said the U.S. is “very close” to reaching a trade deal with India and then lavished lavish praise on Modi as “a very tough negotiator.”
“He’s the most beautiful looking man. He looks so nice. He’s like an angel. But actually, he’s as tough as he’s a killer,” Trump said.
Trump again remarks on G7 dropping Russia
The president told reporters after meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he was having “great meetings” with a “group of people used to be the G8.”
“Now it’s the G7. I don’t know, that was a good deal or not,” Trump remarked.
Trump has previously said removing Russia from the G8 in 2014 after it annexed Crimea was a “mistake.”
G7 leaders add their voices to global push for online child safety
Their joint statement says they are committed to providing a “safe digital space” for minors, and urges governments, tech companies and public authorities to prioritize protecting their physical and mental health, privacy and online safety.
It calls for tech companies to develop “age assurance” systems to protect kids from inappropriate online experiences and make AI chatbots safer for them to use, among other things.
It also says parents should be empowered to guide their children’s online experiences, including through the use of parental control tools.
Trump delays Clayton’s nomination for intelligence director, but committee chairman promises hearing
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was delaying federal prosecutor Jay Clayton's nomination to lead the U.S. intelligence community in a bid to force Congress to act on a voter ID bill that currently lacks enough support for passage, but a key senator said he'd push forward with a hearing.
The chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, said he planned to proceed with Wednesday’s confirmation hearing unless Trump orders Clayton to not appear or withdraws the nomination.
The Republican president said in a social media post just hours before the hearing that he will keep Bill Pulte, a top U.S. housing official, as acting director of national intelligence. Democratic and Republican lawmakers have opposed Pulte for this role, citing his lack of known experience in intelligence and his use of his current administration perch to target Trump's perceived adversaries.
G7 leaders form critical minerals alliance against ‘economic coercion’
In a joint statement after the summit, the leaders said they have “grave concerns” about “practices and economic coercion, including arbitrary export restrictions and retaliatory measures on critical minerals.” It’s a clear reference to China’s throttling of rare earth exports that rattled industries across the world.
“We will work together with partners to reduce critical dependencies and ensure that attempts or threats to weaponize economic dependencies fail. We seek to deter and stand ready to take actions, where necessary in a coordinated manner, against economic coercion,” their statement said.
The new G7 Critical Minerals Resilience and Production Alliance promises actions including the use of financial instruments, stockpiling, and recycling.
The EU has sought advice from Japan on how it reduced its reliance on Chinese critical minerals, and the U.S. has broadly pursued partnerships to weaken China’s domination on the mining and refinement of rare earth metals so crucial to modern technology from semiconductors to AI, drones and phones.
Tourists at Versailles are out of luck: It’s shut down for Trump-Macron dinner
The vast, glittering palace built for France’s ″Sun King’’ Louis XIV closed its gates for Wednesday’s dinner, which was just confirmed four days ago.
A helicopter is flying now over the vast grounds of the chateau as security tightens.
It took 25-year-old Ben Olson and his girlfriend, Amanda Gruell, both from Minnesota, an hour to get from Paris to Versailles, only to learn they wouldn’t be able to enter.
“I don’t know what they’re going to talk about,” Olson said. The disappointed couple decided to walk around the town instead.
As G7 leaders meet AI titans, their spouses discuss dangers of the technology
Brigitte Macron took some G7 leaders’ spouses to an event called “Protecting Children in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” as their partners met with AI titans.
Macron led Kenya’s Rachel Kimetto, Germany’s Charlotte Merz, Canada’s Diana Fox Carney, South Korea’s Kim Hye-kyung, France’s Brigitte Macron, Britain’s Victoria Starmer, Brazil’s Janja Lula da Silva and Heiko von der Leyen, husband of the EU executive, to La Buvette Cachat, an ornate wood and glass pavilion built in 1832 in Art Nouveau style on the south shore of Lake Geneva.
Trump says US won’t spend 10 cents to help Iran rebuild
The tentative agreement would provide Iran with at least $300 billion to rebuild after the intense U.S. and Israeli-led bombing campaign, according to leaked copies of the document.
But Trump insists the U.S. won’t aid the effort.
“We’re not putting up ten cents,” Trump said while meeting with Egypt’s president. “People can decide to do that, but that’s up to them. We are not investing in it, and we do not have a fund.”
Trump said he’s not asking Gulf countries to contribute. He said other countries are free to do so if they choose.
Merz says ‘no personal disturbances’ as allies met Trump
The German leader says the G7 leaders spoke “very openly” and “very constructively” about the issues on the summit agenda.
Merz got off to a good start with Trump last year, but their relationship cooled after Merz said earlier this year that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by Iran and criticized Washington for going into the war without a strategy.
Merz said when asked about his relationship with Trump Wednesday that he “experienced this G7 summit as very constructive and really carried by a joint spirit, and at no point were there any personal disturbances.”