Thursday 9 July 2026, by William Donaura
Held in the shadow of Donald Trump, the G7 summit served above all to confirm the alignment of Western powers with US strategic and energy interests. Behind the declarations of principle, this summit points to strengthened imperialist cooperation, still built on the backs of the people.
‘I am the boss,’ declared Donald Trump at the opening of the G7. He might well have repeated it at the closing session, such was the extent to which this summit was aligned with US strategic and energy interests.
Soothing declarations and deafening silences
In addition to the central, geopolitical declaration, the G7 resulted in the signing of eight declarations of principle on: the fight against cancer, the necessary ‘coordinated response to the Ebola epidemic’, ‘mutually beneficial international partnerships’, ‘supply chains for critical minerals’ (read: the ‘decoupling’ of industrialised economies from China), ‘more balanced, sustainable and resilient growth’, ‘smuggling of migrants’, ‘drug trafficking’ and ‘a safer digital space for minors’. Climate change and the decline in biodiversity are conspicuously absent from this soothing litany of the ruling elite’s ‘wonderful world’. Naturally, there is no mention anywhere of lifting private ownership of medicines, phasing out fossil fuels or meeting social needs…
The geopolitical declaration summarises the key issues discussed at this G7 summit: Ukraine, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific region, for which it endorses the US military presence and reiterates the usual clichés about North Korea and its nuclear weapons.
Geopolitical agreement at the expense of the people
On Ukraine, it states: ‘We, the G7 leaders, stand united in our unwavering support for Ukraine in the defence of its freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity’, and promises both to increase deliveries — and local production — of air defence systems and long-range missiles, and to reinstate sanctions against Russia concerning gas and oil, which had been lifted during the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The countries also reached an agreement on the reconstruction of energy infrastructure…
The summit provided an opportunity to endorse Trump’s narrative regarding the ‘magnificent’ agreement signed with Iran: ‘The announcement of an agreement between the United States and Iran, secured under the strong leadership of President Donald Trump (...) offers a historic opportunity to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. ” This support has been given even though the details of the agreement have not yet been finalised and, by already marking numerous setbacks for the US administration, it signals the failure of the war waged by the United States.
Whatever the outcome of the negotiations on the US-Iran agreement, it will be necessary to secure a role in the country’s reconstruction and therefore to nurture relations with US imperialism today. This is what France has attempted to do by highlighting the ‘Operation Ormuz’, which it co-leads with the United Kingdom.
On Lebanon, the text affirms its support — wishful thinking — for Lebanon’s territorial integrity (sic), for a ‘robust’ ceasefire (re-sic), but only as a means to enable the disarmament of Hezbollah… It condemns the ‘violence’ in the West Bank and promises more humanitarian aid to Gaza. Of course, the text never mentions the State of Israel…
Thus, according to Macron, this summit “was a moment of unity, of high-quality discussion and of genuine cooperation between the leaders gathered here. This summit, indeed, enabled us to coordinate very closely in order to respond to crises and to work on the major challenges of our time”.
Such a fine display of harmony can only send a shiver down our spines, for it is always achieved at the expense of the people…
2 July 2026
Translated by International Viewpoint from l’Anticapitaliste.
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