A hot mic moment at the G7 summit captured French President Emmanuel Macron describing a meeting with President Donald Trump as “difficult” during an exchange on Monday evening.
As Macron greeted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the summit, someone overheard the remarks.
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The brief conversation offered a glimpse into ongoing tensions between the United States and France, which have recently disagreed on issues such as trade tariffs, the conflict involving Iran, and Trump’s comments regarding Greenland.
“Yesterday we had a difficult discussion with President Trump,” Macron told Zelenskyy. (video below)
Macron then urged Zelensky to stay at the summit longer, but the Ukrainian leader said he had to travel to Brussels.
The French president then asked whether Zelenskyy had arranged a one-on-one meeting with Trump.
After Zelenskyy replied that no meeting had been scheduled, Macron said he would help facilitate one, telling him, “Okay, I will arrange that.”
Macron has increasingly served as a go-between for Trump and Zelenskyy as European leaders seek to persuade the U.S. president to support a peace agreement that aligns with Kyiv’s objectives rather than Moscow’s.
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Relations between Trump and Zelenskyy have remained strained since a February 2025 Oval Office meeting that devolved into a tense and highly public dispute between the two leaders.
During the meeting, Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticized Zelensky, accusing the Ukrainian leader of being disrespectful and urging him to consider a negotiated settlement to end the war with Russia.
Trump also warned that the U.S. would not guarantee continued support for Ukraine.
The confrontation led to the cancellation of a planned joint news conference and derailed a proposed minerals agreement between the two countries.
Zelenskyy departed the White House earlier than scheduled after the talks broke down.
In the aftermath of the meeting, the Trump administration temporarily paused U.S. intelligence sharing and military assistance to Ukraine before later restoring both.
Since the February 2025 confrontation, Trump and Zelensky have met several times, but tensions between the two leaders have persisted.
European officials have increasingly taken on a mediating role between Kyiv and Washington as efforts continue to secure a negotiated end to the war with Russia.
Trump, who pledged during the campaign to quickly bring the conflict to an end, has yet to broker a peace agreement.
U.S.-backed diplomatic efforts have faced repeated setbacks, with negotiations failing to produce a breakthrough.
In January, when asked why the peace talks had stalled, Trump pointed to Zelensky as a major obstacle.
Macron tells Zelensky he had ‘difficult’ meeting with Trump ahead of Ukraine talks as duo caught in hot-mic moment https://t.co/j30DMHxcif pic.twitter.com/Rl64iFpGiY
— New York Post (@nypost) June 16, 2026
When a Reuters reporter asked what was preventing progress in the negotiations, Trump responded with a one-word answer: “Zelensky.”
At the same time, Trump argued that Moscow is prepared to conclude the conflict, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to bring the nearly four-year invasion to a close after being unable to take more of Ukraine and as he now deals with decreasing manpower.
“I think he’s ready to make a deal,” Trump said, adding, “I think Ukraine is less ready to make a deal.”
Most European leaders disagree, insisting that it is Ukraine that wants a deal, but Russia does not.
Relations between Ukraine and the U.S. seem to have stabilized, as President Trump and President Zelensky met at the G7 summit on Tuesday.
Trump described their meeting as “very good” and mentioned that they plan to meet again later in the day on Tuesday.
Trump added that “Russia should make a deal” with Ukraine and end the bloody conflict, which has devolved into more of a stalemate.
For his part, Zelensky has pushed Trump harder to urge Moscow to come to an agreement to end the war.
“Trump can do it, or only maybe only him,” Zelensky said, per The Daily Beast.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
