President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday at the Group of Seven summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, that the war in Ukraine had "nothing to do" with the United States, describing it as "thousands of miles away" and noting that American involvement was limited to arms sales. His remarks underscored a persistent gap between Washington and its European allies, who have pressed Trump to engage more actively with Russia toward a negotiated settlement. Trump did confirm he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday morning and pledged to speak with him again.

The summit, which gathered leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and the United States, opened on a cordial note before quickly turning to the two dominant crises: the Ukraine war and the recently announced preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz presented Trump with a German soccer jersey bearing the number 47, calling it a belated 80th birthday gift. Trump told reporters he expected to be able to reimpose sanctions on Russian oil "soon," contingent on the anticipated reopening of the Strait of Hormuz following the Iran deal.

The U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, which has not been publicly released in full, centers on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, lifting the American naval blockade of the waterway, and providing financial incentives to Iran tied to certain benchmarks. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that long-term negotiations would begin immediately after the agreement is formally signed on Friday at Switzerland's Burgenstock resort. The Wall Street Journal reported that a waiver of sanctions on Iranian oil sales would take effect immediately upon signing, and tracking site TankerTrackers confirmed that at least three Iranian supertankers had already exited the U.S. Navy blockade perimeter carrying a combined 3.8 million barrels of crude oil.

Israel, though not a party to the agreement, remains a central complication. Araghchi stated that the deal requires Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, where Israeli forces continue operations against Hezbollah. Israeli airstrikes struck multiple areas of southern Lebanon on Wednesday, and Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said flatly that "Trump's agreement does not bind us." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not been shown the memorandum of understanding as of Tuesday evening, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The broader geopolitical stakes of the Strait of Hormuz's status were underscored by French Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux, who told the Associated Press that G7 discussions included exploring alternative oil supply routes to reduce long-term dependence on the waterway. Trump also invoked the Defense Production Act via a presidential memo, directing the Defense Secretary to address munitions supply chain bottlenecks exposed by the Iran conflict. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told CBS News he remained "pretty skeptical" about the planned U.S.-Iran talks, reflecting cautious sentiment among some congressional allies even as diplomatic activity accelerates ahead of Friday's signing.