A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
President Trump will join leaders of the world's wealthiest nations for a summit in the French Alps today known as the G7.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The meeting, we expect, will involve talk of that peace agreement between the United States and Iran. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz raised oil prices and affected just about every economy on Earth.
MARTÍNEZ: We turn now to NPR's Eleanor Beardsley, who is following from France. Eleanor, this G7 summit will open in a few hours. What's the mood there?
ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: Well, leaders will be bracing for the arrival of President Trump later today. But that's usually the case because he has a tendency to dictate the timing, the agenda and the mood of such international summits. Commentators are saying he'll be arriving in a good mood like a hero, fresh off of a deal to end the war with Iran. But European analysts are also noting that both the U.S. and Iran are claiming total victory and that the U.S. is only fixing something it had broken. So basically, the world is back to where we were before the U.S. and Israel launched this war 107 days ago, they say.
French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting the summit. This is his last G7, his last year in office. He reacted last night when the news broke, speaking from Evian-les-Bains in the French Alps, where he'll be receiving President Trump and the leaders of Canada, Japan, the U.K., Italy and Germany later today. He was cautiously optimistic. Here he is.
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PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: He says, "we need to see the consequences of this agreement. It's support for Lebanon, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz long-term and, of course, an agreement on Iran's nuclear and ballistic weapons."
MARTÍNEZ: So I'm trying to remember. Didn't European leaders say that they would help reopen the Strait of Hormuz once the fighting stops? If so, I mean, is that still on the table?
BEARDSLEY: Yes. It absolutely is. Around 40 countries met in April in Paris, led by Britain and France, and they said they would contribute to such a force once the war ends. And France has an aircraft carrier in the region - the Charles de Gaulle - standing by. Alice Rufo, who is France's deputy defense minister, spoke this morning on the radio. Here she is.
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ALICE RUFO: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: So she says, "we are ready to contribute to reopening this strait and demining it as long as there's this agreement in place and the fighting has stopped."
You know, Trump disparaged. He even mocked British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Macron for this offer of force after the war ends, a couple months ago, but he wants them involved today. Analysts say Trump will be counting on these allies to help him buttress the deal and give it credibility. So we likely will see Trump treating his allies with respect in the next couple days, they say.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. So that's the big topic at the G7. What else will be discussed there?
BEARDSLEY: Artificial intelligence, world trade imbalances, immigration and also the war in Ukraine, which is a top priority - ending it is - for Europeans. That's four of the G7 members. President Zelenskyy will be at the summit. Ukraine has been very successful, striking deep into Russia with its own, you know, drones and missiles, long-range. That's crippling Russian oil-refining capacity. And Zelenskyy's hoping that strength will get Trump back to the negotiating table to put pressure on Russia to end the war.
MARTÍNEZ: And one more thing. Anything else on President Trump's European agenda?
BEARDSLEY: Well, the summit ends Wednesday. But we know President Trump will be staying at least through Wednesday night because he's been invited to a tete-a-tete dinner by President Macron at the Palace of Versailles, where there will be fireworks to celebrate America's 250th anniversary.
MARTÍNEZ: But no octagon cage at the palace? You haven't seen...
BEARDSLEY: No.
MARTÍNEZ: That's NPR's Eleanor Beardsley. Thank you.
BEARDSLEY: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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