The Latest: G7 leaders likely to discuss Iran and Ukraine at summit in France

World leaders began gathering in a French spa town Monday for a summit of the Group of Seven club of powerful democracies with a new impetus following President Donald Trump 's announcement of an agreement that he says will bring an end to the U.S. war against Iran.

Trump arrives in Evian-les-Bains on Monday afternoon for talks with G7 leaders, including some who have been sharply critical of his managing of the roughly 15-week conflict that has led to a surge in global energy prices.

Trump has had sharp disagreement with host French President Emmanuel 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. Trump has threatened reprisals, including drawing down U.S. troops in all four countries, all members of the NATO military alliance, for their lack of support.

The G7 includes France, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom. Guest nations at this summit include Brazil, Egypt, India, Kenya, South Korea, Qatar, Syria, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.

In addition to Iran, the other leading issue will be Ukraine war that’s largely slipped down the White House’s list of top priorities. Trump spoke to Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday.

At a morning session Tuesday, Zelenskyy will have the opportunity to showcase progress that Ukrainian forces are making against the Russian invasion.

The Latest:

Japanese PM says Japan will participate in joint statement with G7’s European nations

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan will participate in a joint statement issued by the Group of Seven’s four European nations calling for cooperation in efforts to quickly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and to end Iran’s nuclear program.

Takaichi, asked about the joint statement, said Japan was requested to be part of it and that “We will join.”

In the statement issued Monday in response to the U.S.-Iran peace deal, France, Britain, Italy and Germany said the rapid and comprehensive implementation of the agreement is vital, and that they are ready to provide support such as ensuring safe commercial shipping and mine clearance in the key waterway, in accordance with respective constitutional requirements.

Takaichi did not give details about a possible Japanese contribution, but said that she planned to thoroughly discuss at the G7 summit ways to achieve peace and stability in the entire Middle East region.

Trump announces plans for July 4 rally in Washington

The president may be on his way to France for the G7 summit, but he continues to lay out details for celebrations to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.

“On July 4th, at The Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, in beautiful and safe Washington D.C., we are going to host the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all, a “TRIBUTE TO AMERICA,” Trump posted on social media.

Trump said the event will include military flyovers, his personally curated music playlist, and “the LARGEST FIREWORKS SHOW IN HISTORY.”

Trump, in late May, also announced that he would headline “The Great American State Fair,” part of the America 250 celebration, after several musical guests backed out partly over the event’s ties to Trump. Organizers had said that the president’s appearance is slated for June 24 to kick off the state fair.

Macron drinks from spring that gave Evian its name

French President Emmanuel Macron drank a glass of water Monday from the spring that gave the town of Evian-les-Bains its international reputation.

Macron visited the Cachat Spring, named after the owner of the garden through which the water flowed in the late 18th century.

The water was first analyzed in 1807 and was recommended for treating kidney and bladder ailments. It gained popularity as a table water beginning in the 1860s and is now sold worldwide under the Evian brand.

Brazil’s president and head of UN health agency call on world leaders to help fight pandemics

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the head of the U.N. health agency are calling on world leaders to strengthen an accord passed last year to help fight pandemics like COVID-19.

“Humanity promised itself, in the rawness of that grief, that it would not face such a day again unprepared,” they wrote in a joint statement.

Negotiations on a crucial annex to the accord have been stuck over differences about sharing disease-causing pathogens, which often erupt in tropical developing countries, in exchange for access to technologies like vaccines, usually developed in rich nations.

They called on the leaders of the G7 and other international groupings to “instruct your negotiators to come to the July session ready to conclude” the annex.

Trump declares White House UFC fight night ‘incredible’

On his way to the G7 summit, Trump, in a Truth Social post from Air Force One, called the fighters “outstanding“ and the South Lawn setting “unsurpassed.”

“The White House has never looked more beautiful,” Trump added.

Brazil’s Lula first foreign leader to arrive for G7 summit

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was the first foreign leader to arrive Monday at the Hotel Royal in the French resort town of Evian-les-Bains ahead of the G7 summit.

Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, India and South Korea have been invited to participate in some discussions as partner countries alongside G7 members.

World leaders, including Trump, are scheduled to be formally welcomed later Monday by French President Emmanuel Macron at the start of the summit.

The Hotel Royal, a five-star property overlooking Lake Geneva and the foothills of the Alps, will host leaders through Wednesday. The hotel is set amid expansive gardens with flowerbeds, water features and English- and Japanese-inspired landscaping.

UN human rights chief welcomes deal between the US and Iran

Volker Türk also reiterated his call for the United States to publicly release the details of an investigation into a deadly strike on a school in southern Iran as the war began.

Türk said he “deplores” the use of force by Israel and the United States against Iran that reportedly has left thousands dead and destroyed infrastructure, while saying Iran’s strikes on Gulf countries and Jordan and its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz are “completely unacceptable.”

“I welcome the announcement that the United States and Iran have agreed on a peace deal that provides for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a framework for further negotiations,” Türk told the Human Rights Council as it opened its latest session.

“At this fragile moment, it is clear all sides need to exercise maximum restraint and work to implement this agreement quickly and in good faith,” he added.

Trump chafes at comparison to Obama’s Iran nuclear deal

Trump has fiercely criticized former President Barack Obama for the 2015 nuclear agreement that Trump argued failed to stop Tehran from advancing toward a weapon and funneled billions into the Islamic Republic’s coffers.

In 2018, Trump exited the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union were also signatories to the pact.

But Trump’s deal is also expected to include some sanctions relief and economic incentives for Tehran as it meets certain benchmarks aimed at assuaging White House concerns,

Trump, in a new interview with The New York Times, pushed back on comparisons to the Obama-era nuclear deal.

“We negotiated from strength,” Trump said. “He was basically paying them off.”

Starmer welcomes breakthrough in US talks with Iran

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the breakthrough in talks between the United States and Iran, calling it a hugely significant opportunity to secure stability in the region.

Speaking at the start of a news conference at his No. 10 Downing Street office, Starmer said it was vital that all parties in the region seize the opportunity to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

“We will now work closely with our partners to support this agreement and to ensure that it turns into a durable, lasting peace,’’ he said.

Trump threatens France with 100 percent tariffs on wine

In a separate development, Trump ahead of departing for the summit said in an interview with the New York Post he has warned Macron the US will “have no choice” but to slap 100% tariffs on French wines unless ​Paris eliminates its digital tax on American tech companies, renewing a long-running threat from the Republican that dates to his first administration.

Wines and ​spirits exported to the U.S. from the European Union currently face ​a 15% ⁠tariff.