Evian, June 17: Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) on Wednesday issued a joint statement on key geopolitical issues, reaffirming their support for Ukraine, welcoming a breakthrough agreement between the United States and Iran, and underscoring their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

On Ukraine, the G7 leaders said they remain united in their support for Kyiv amid its ongoing conflict with Russia. “We, the Leaders of the G7, stand united in our unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” the statement said.

The leaders pledged to step up military assistance, including the delivery of additional air defence systems, interceptors and long-range capabilities. They also signalled readiness to support increased military production in Ukraine through licensing arrangements.

Highlighting what they described as a “new momentum” in the conflict, the G7 committed to increasing pressure on Russia through stronger sanctions, particularly targeting the oil and gas sectors. The statement noted that leaders considered it “the right moment to proceed with additional measures” following a deal supported by US President Donald Trump that led to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

On the Middle East, the G7 welcomed a newly announced agreement between the United States and Iran. The leaders described the deal as providing “an historic opportunity to prevent Iran from acquiring any nuclear weapon and tackling the threats related to its regional and ballistic activities.”

The statement reaffirmed the group’s position that “Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon” and expressed support for a broader diplomatic framework aimed at securing long-term peace and stability in the region.

The G7 also endorsed efforts led by France and the United Kingdom to restore confidence in maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and facilitate the resumption of commercial shipping. Leaders reiterated that unrestricted transit passage remains “the bedrock of international trade.”

Addressing regional conflicts, the group called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and backed efforts to disarm Hezbollah. In Gaza, the leaders pledged to accelerate humanitarian assistance and reconstruction efforts while calling for an end to violence in the West Bank.

Turning to the Indo-Pacific, the G7 stressed the importance of maintaining a rules-based order and opposed unilateral attempts to alter the status quo through force or coercion.

“We reaffirm our opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, in particular by force or coercion, in the East and South China Seas and across the Taiwan Strait, which should only be resolved peacefully through dialogue,” the statement said.

The leaders also expressed deep concern over North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, reiterating their commitment to the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions. They also called for coordinated action against North Korean cryptocurrency theft and cybercrime.

The statement concluded by supporting international efforts to address global economic imbalances and welcomed China’s participation in the Global Convergence for Growth Summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month.

Washington, June 17: US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are set to take India-US relations to “new highs” the White House said as the two leaders prepared for bilateral talks in France, with trade, technology, investment and global security expected to top the agenda.

“President Trump and Prime Minister Modi have a close friendship, and under their leadership, the Trump administration and Indian government are set to take our two countries to new highs,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told media.

The meeting in Evian, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, will be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since their summit meeting last February. It comes amid discussions on a possible trade agreement and as diplomatic efforts continue to address the crisis in West Asia.

The White House said Trump and PM Modi will meet on the sideline sof the G7 Summit. According to the White House, the two leaders will discuss economic growth, supply chains, artificial intelligence, investment partnerships and a range of global security challenges.

“President Trump has consistently underscored his support for America’s strategic partnership with India,” Desai told media adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent visit to India built on Trump’s efforts to deepen cooperation between the two countries on trade and national security.

“Secretary Rubio’s landmark visit to India built on the President’s push to expand bilateral ties and cooperation on trade and national security, including with the signing of a historic MOU on critical minerals,” he said.

Experts say both sides are looking for tangible outcomes as well as strong political messaging.

Aparna Pande, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said expectations are high for the meeting.

“PM Modi and President Trump’s in-person meeting will be their first since last February’s summit meeting,” Pande told media.

“Both sides have high expectations from this meeting, which comes in the backdrop of a possible resolution of the West Asia crisis and amidst discussions over the trade deal.”

Pande said symbolism and substance would both matter. “The optics of the meeting will be critical as well as the substantive part,” she said.

“Both leaders would like to demonstrate that ties between the two democracies remain strong despite the headwinds and that they would be keen to announce some defense and technology related agreements.”

Atman Trivedi, Partner at Albright Stonebridge Group, North America, described the meeting as an opportunity to improve momentum in bilateral ties.

“The leaders’ meeting represents the latest best opportunity to reset ties,” Trivedi told media.

“Their conversation comes after the deaths of Indian sailors in the Gulf of Oman dealt a blow to hopes for reviving bilateral relations.”

Trivedi cautioned against expecting major breakthroughs.

“Expectations should be modest and centered around Trump and Modi reaffirming the importance of each other to longstanding shared interests in energy, defense, and technology cooperation,” he said.

“A positive statement recognizing the significance of an interim trade agreement and urging negotiators to reach a deal in the next month or two should also be achievable.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump and Modi exchanged greetings on the sidelines of a G7 outreach session on “Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity”.

The two leaders shook hands and held a brief conversation before joining discussions attended by G7 countries, partner nations, the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

Upon arriving in Evian, Modi said he looked forward to engaging with world leaders on major global issues.

Tehran, June 17: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that negotiations between Iran and the United States on a final agreement will begin on Friday following the two sides’ official signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to end the war, according to the official news agency media.

Araghchi made the remarks at a meeting with foreign diplomats in the Iranian capital Tehran while elaborating on the peace MoU that was finalised on Sunday between Iran and the United States, Xinhua news agency reported..

“The new round of negotiations between Iran and the United States on reaching a final agreement will probably begin on Friday at the venue that will be decided,” he said, explaining that owing to the difficulties in reaching an agreement between Iran and the United States that resulted from the US and Israeli “criminal aggression” against the country, “we ultimately decided to divide the negotiations into two stages.”

He said the first stage pertained to the finalisation of an MoU on issues such as the war’s end, the Strait of Hormuz, US anti-Iran naval blockade, Iranian frozen assets and the reconstruction of war damages, adding that in the second stage, negotiations will continue for a 60-day period to reach a final agreement on nuclear issues and the removal of sanctions on Iran.

Araghchi noted that in the first stage, the most important thing that will happen is the declaration of an end to the war, stressing, “Based on the decision we made, the end of the war was also announced on Monday morning when the agreement was finalized, but the official start of the MoU will be on Friday.”

The minister said the “immediate and permanent” end of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, is perhaps the most important issue in the MoU, noting that owing to the connection that the war in Lebanon and Israel’s “aggression” against southern Lebanon found with the war against Iran, and the fact that the two fronts became somehow connected to and dependent on each other.

Araghchi described the war’s end in Lebanon as an “inseparable” part of the Iran-US peace MoU, stressing “The war’s end also includes the end of (Israel’s) occupation. The war’s end is not complete without the Israeli forces’ withdrawal from the (Lebanese) territories they occupied in this war.”

Araghchi emphasised that from now on, Iran considers any military attack by Israel against Lebanon and the continued occupation of the Lebanese territories a violation of the peace MoU.

The United States, Pakistan and Iran early Monday announced the finalisation of the MoU on ending the war following weeks of negotiations, adding that it will be officially signed in Switzerland on Friday.

On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the region.