Politics: Can Divides Over War Be Bridged At The G7 Summit?

1A

NPR

News

4.3 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 17 June 2026

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, on the southern shores of Lake Geneva, leaders of the Group of Seven countries gathered for their annual summit.

There are several pressing issues that require attention including the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran, the resulting economic crisis, the state of the Persian Gulf, and long term questions about the future of relations with Iran.

The G7 meeting also notably brought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy face-to-face with President Donald Trump. Trump told reporters that the war Ukraine was not a priority for the United States, saying that his country had “nothing to do” with a war that was “thousands of miles away.”

We discuss what this 2026 G7 meeting reveals about the state of the U.S. relationship with its most important allies, especially after months of a war of choice with Iran.

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	On the southern shores of Lake Geneva in France, leaders of the G7 countries gathered this week for their annual summit.
0:14.4	The group of seven of the world's largest economies was all but guaranteed to spend its time responding to the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran
0:21.8	and the economic crisis that's followed. But news over the weekend about a breakthrough in the war
0:27.1	and an agreement that could lead to a longer-term peace deal has shifted the focus to longer-term
0:32.3	questions about the future of relations with Iran, its nuclear program, and the Persian Gulf.
0:37.9	But leaders paired those questions with lots of smiles.
0:41.8	Well, I have to say, I experienced this G7 summit as very constructive
0:45.8	and really carried by a joint spirit, and at no point were there any personal disturbances.
0:51.4	That's German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz on Wednesday. I'm Jen White. You're listening to the
0:57.0	1A podcast. Today, what this G7 meeting reveals about the state of the U.S. relationship with its
1:03.1	most important allies, especially after months of a war of choice with Iran. That's right after this.
1:13.8	Let's get into the conversation with our guests. In studio with us is Akbar Shahed Ahmed.
1:19.6	He's diplomatic correspondent for the news outlet notice and author of Crossing the Red
1:24.9	Line, Biden, his advisors, and Israel's War in Gaza. It's out in September.
1:30.0	Akbar, welcome back to 1A. Thanks for having me, John. Also joining us is Will Toddman. He's a senior
1:35.3	fellow in the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. It's a think tank
1:40.2	in Washington, D.C., where he joins us from now. Will, welcome to the program.
1:49.9	Thanks so much for having me. So Akbar, the G7 wraps up later today. What's come out of it that tells us the most about what's happening behind the scenes at the summit? Certainly this
1:55.4	kind of message of camaraderie, friendship, we don't have any issues with Trump.
2:04.7	You know, this is a very different tone from last year where that was the shock of the second Trump election, this idea that the Trump administration was coming in, having last year
2:09.2	said they felt the US traditional allies were slipping away, they weren't happy with how
2:13.3	their societies were changing, they weren't happy with how they were contributing to the alliance.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 25 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.