Shafaqna Pakistan: It could prove to be one of Emmanuel Macron’s final major foreign policy successes as French president: convincing US President Donald Trump to attend a historic gathering at Versailles, where he signed a preliminary agreement aimed at ending the Iran war.
However, that was not the only standout moment for Macron during the G7 summit, where the diplomatic experience and international connections he has developed over nearly a decade in office appeared to yield results.
Among the most notable achievements was persuading Trump to adopt a stronger stance in support of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia — a diplomatic victory for European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his difficult White House meeting in March 2025.
“Bravo,” Macron said after Trump signed the agreement on Iran. The signing caught many officials and guests at the Versailles Palace dinner by surprise and was met with applause from those in attendance.
Macron had said the dinner was intended as a celebration of French-American friendship. The unannounced signing ceremony transformed it into a symbolic finale to Macron’s weeklong effort to get Trump more aligned with Europe — perhaps his last big achievements before the end of his term next spring.
Macron had presented Versailles as an “instrument of influence” and suggested the invitation could help keep Trump engaged through the end of the G7 summit held in Evian. Trump left last year’s gathering in Canada before it had concluded.
The Palace of Versailles, which Trump praised as “not gold leaf,” has been a venue for French leaders to honor visiting guests for more than three centuries.
After the signing, Macron praised the Iran agreement as one that “allows for putting an end to the conflict, that allows peace, that allows the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz” and will likely result in lower oil prices.
Macron, who was not involved in the Iran war negotiations, cannot claim success for Trump deciding to sign the deal. But he secured the historic location, helping to put Europe back into the frame of a war that the U.S. and Israel jointly launched without consulting Western allies.
French Economy Minister Roland Lescure, who attended the dinner, described the signing as largely improvised.
Trump said in his remarks that he was going to sign the agreement, Lescure said. Asked whether Macron knew in advance, Lescure said he believed Trump had informed the French president shortly beforehand.
“But for us, ministers in the French government, it was a surprise,” he told French radio RTL.
Trump arrived in France facing pressure at home over Iran, including criticism from some allies about his handling of the conflict and the emerging agreement. Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s closest allies and a longtime Iran hawk, had expressed skepticism.
As negotiations with Iran advanced, Trump sought backing from leaders at the G7 meeting, according to a European diplomat briefed on the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The G7 includes the U.S., France, the U.K., Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan.
“We certainly gave him some reassurance on the Middle East,” the European diplomat said. “And President Trump, for his part, delivered for us on Ukraine.”
The G7 statement on geopolitical issues referred to a “breakthrough” in the Middle East and mentioned Trump by name three times, praising what it called his “strong leadership.”
Trump has had friction with Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over failing to consult them before the decision to go to war. He has pushed back on the four members of NATO for their lack of support for the U.S. in the conflict.
Macron, whose bumpy relations with Trump started with an awkwardly long handshake nearly a decade ago, prepared for the G7 summit for months via frequent phone calls focusing on both Iran and Ukraine.
Trump met on the sidelines of the summit with Zelenskyy, who showed Trump photos of the damage caused by Russian bombing of the Dormition Cathedral in Kyiv.
Macron has at times expressed caution about Trump’s shifting positions, particularly regarding Russia and President Vladimir Putin. But European officials argued that this week’s written commitments represented a more durable position because the language had been approved by Trump himself.
“America is with us on Ukraine. That is very important,” Macron said after Trump joined a three-way phone call with Zelenskyy from Versailles.
G7 leaders agreed in a joint statement to increase deliveries of air-defense systems and long-range weapons for Ukraine. They also pledged to increase pressure on Russia through stronger sanctions, including measures targeting the country’s oil and gas sectors.
Macron also used the summit to raise Lebanon’s future with Trump. France has longstanding historical ties to Lebanon and has sought to keep support for Lebanese sovereignty high on the international agenda. During discussions in Evian, Trump repeatedly expressed sympathy for Lebanon while criticizing Israel and describing tensions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Source: Dunya News
