Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cut short his trip to Canada and returned to Ukraine following a deadly Russian missile attack on Kyiv and an unproductive G7 summit, according to sources cited by CBC News and Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne.
Zelensky had planned to meet with US President Donald Trump during the summit, but the talks never happened – Trump left the gathering early, on June 17.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that “because of what’s going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight after dinner with Heads of State.”
“I have to be back, as soon as I can,” Trump told reporters in response to a question Monday night about his plan change.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Zelensky left without securing the level of support he had hoped for. Speaking briefly before a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Zelensky appealed for $40 billion in annual financial aid and urged allies to push harder against Russia.
The Ukrainian president said his country was open to peace talks and a full cease-fire, and called on G7 leaders to press Russia with new sanctions – particularly on oil – and to encourage Trump to take a tougher stance against Russian strongman Vladimir Putin.
While the UK and Canada pledged new sanctions and voiced support for Ukraine, the G7 stopped short of issuing a forceful statement condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.