G7 Summit: Energy security, AI governance and climate finance to test bloc unity

The leaders of the world's seven major economies will gather in the French town of Évian-les-Bains from June 15 to 17 for the 52nd G7 summit. France is hosting this year's meeting, with President Emmanuel Macron leading the discussions. Along with the seven core members, four countries have been invited as guests: India, Brazil, South Korea and Kenya. Their presence reflects France's goal of building stronger ties with emerging powers and broadening the group's global reach.

The summit comes at a difficult moment. Leaders are arriving with very different priorities, and managing those differences will be just as challenging as agreeing on the big issues themselves. The contrasting approaches of US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer mean that reaching consensus could prove difficult.

War, security and Ukraine

Security sits at the top of the agenda. Leaders will discuss the continuing war in Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East and rising tensions in the Gulf of Oman. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend, giving him a direct platform to make his case to G7 leaders.

The group will look at how to sustain financial and military support for Kyiv over the longer term. France is also pushing its "No Money for Terror" initiative, which aims to tighten international cooperation against groups that use the global financial system to fund terrorism and criminal activity.

Furthermore, recent unilateral US naval blockade actions in West Asia and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have caused friction with key outreach partners like India, creating a delicate balancing act for G7 leaders trying to maintain a unified global front.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence has emerged as one of the most high-profile topics of the summit. The core question is how much governments should regulate AI and who gets to set the rules. France and the European Union are pushing for a coordinated framework built around risk, with stricter oversight and tighter competition rules applied to the most powerful AI systems. They also want stronger protections online, especially for children.

The United States prefers a lighter-touch approach, favouring market-driven development with fewer restrictions and viewing aggressive action against big technology companies as potentially protectionist. Finding common ground will require careful diplomacy.

Economic security and supply chains

Leaders will also debate how to reduce dependence on single countries for essential goods such as critical minerals used in semiconductors and defence equipment. The goal is to make economies more resilient to geopolitical shocks by spreading supply chains across multiple countries. The challenge is doing this without undermining the rules-based international trading system or triggering disputes over national industrial policies.

Climate and energy

Climate discussions are expected to be the most difficult. France wants climate risk embedded in financial regulation and more green finance channelled to developing countries through the Paris Pact for People and the Planet framework. The United States has resisted international climate commitments and prioritises conventional energy security, putting it at odds with European members. There is also concern that imposing strict environmental conditions on finance could put off the emerging economies that France is trying to bring closer to the G7, making it harder to build the broader coalition Macron is seeking.