'We need more boots on the ground,' Latvian PM says as he stresses 'best way to protect us is to prepare for the worst'
As we wait for more G7 leaders to give us their thoughts on the summit, Latvia’s Andris Kulbergs is speaking in Brussels, alongside Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte.
Kulbergs was only appointed late last month after the previous government, led by Evika Siliņa, collapsed over its response to repeated drone incursions into the country.
And Kulbergs makes it very clear that he thinks Latvia needs to be better prepared to respond to all sorts of security threats, primarily from Russia.
Answering questions from reporters, he has offered this stark assessment of the security situation in this part of Europe:
“We need more boots on the ground, and we need more allied forces presence in not only Latvia, [but] in Baltics, and Eastern Flank, and that is a necessary part in discussion and debate we had today together.
So the best way to protect us is to prepare for the worst, which means to have the best defence possible, and that will always be the part of deterrence, much better than doing less.
His comments come just hours after Denmark said it would send a battalion to Latvia later this year (13:46).
Updated
G7 leaders discuss AI with OpenAI, Anthropic CEOs
The afternoon session at the G7 summit was all about the rise of AI, featuring the leaders of OpenAI and Anthropic.
Let’s see some pictures from inside the room:
Updated
Back to G7, we are expecting to hear from France’s Emmanuel Macron at some point this afternoon as the summit slowly wraps up.
I will keep an eye on this.
What do you think? Let us know your thoughts on 'not for sale' protests in Albania
And here, at the Guardian, we would like to hear from Albanians about how they view the protests against a planned luxury resort.
Let us know your thoughts.
‘Europe, can you hear us?,’ ask protesters in Albania as outcry over proposed Jared Kushner luxury tourism development continues
Albanians have been protesting for weeks against a planned luxury resort backed by a company linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Donald Trump, near Vlora, which is famed for its flamingos and a turtle nesting site.
If you are new to the story, here is the summary of what it’s about:
And thousands took to the streets of Tirana again last night:
Denmark to deploy battalion to Latvia this autumn to deter Russia
In other news, Denmark’s military will deploy a battalion of 850 troops to Nato member Latvia in the autumn, taking over from a Swedish contingent that was stationed in the region, Danish defence minister Jeppe Bruus said.
“It’s important that we play our part in deterring Russia. Everyone can see how the situation is unfolding, and it’s obviously a serious matter,” Bruus told reporters after giving a closed-door briefing to Danish parliamentarians, Reuters reported.
Europe is assuming more responsibility for its own security amid criticism from US president Donald Trump, who recently accused European Nato members of a lack of support in the Iran war and has announced a drawdown of troops from Germany.
Germany's Merz welcomes G7 support for Ukraine, says 'sets new tone'
We are going to hear from others leaders this afternoon too, including from the much-praised (12:52) host, France’s Emmanuel Macron.
Germany’s Friedrich Merz was one of the first ones out, praising the G7’s joint declaration of support for Ukraine (9:29).
“This is the first time since president Trump took office that we have issued a joint declaration at a G7 summit and found common language on the major foreign and security policy issues of our time. I consider that a real success,” he said in comments quoted by Reuters.
“This sets a new tone, including regarding transatlantic unity and resolve,” he added.
'If they don't behave, we will go right back to dropping bombs right smack in middle of their heads,' Trump says on Iran
In another very normal Trump diplomacy moment, the US president is now telling reporters that the Iran deal is not really final yet.
“It’s not final. It’s a memorandum of understanding, and if I don’t like it, we’ll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs on their head.
If I don’t like it, if they don’t behave, we’ll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head, okay, because they’ve misbehaved for 47 years.”
He also says the Iranians “laughed at Obama” and added they “said he is a stupid son of a bitch.”
Make of that what you will.
Updated
Trump praises Macron, France for 'great summit'
But notably Trump, who occassionally enjoys immitating Emmanuel Macron’s French accent in English, is now going out of his way to praise the French leader for the G7 summit.
He says “it has been a great summit and France has done a fantastic job.”
“President Macron has been really, he’s really done a great job.
It’s been very well received. Everybody here has been, I don’t know if they’ve been happy, some are not doing so well, but some are doing very well, but they’ve done a beautiful job.”
Other than that, Trump is raving about his Iran deal, claiming he stopped “a worldwide depression” that some “stupid people” advocated for.
He says the strait of Hormuz is “already partially opened” and “it’s going to be opening up soon in full over the next day or two.”
I will leave the details of that for my colleagues over on the Middle East blog.
Trump says he will host a press conference at the end of G7 summit
Trump says he will host a press conference at the end of the G7 summit around 4pm local time (3pm UK), before travelling to Paris for a formal dinner at the Palace of Versailles.
He says he will be discussing the Iran deal, among other things.
Put that in your calendar then. We will cover it live here.
Meanwhile, the US president, Donald Trump, is now taking part in bilateral talks with the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
They are speaking with reporters, so I will keep an eye on lines on Europe and Ukraine.
G7 agreed on 'new steps to put pressure' on Russia, Zelenskyy says
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered a pretty diplomatic, but positive, take on the G7 discussions on Ukraine.
In a post on X, he said:
“The G7 Summit in France delivered important results for Ukraine. Most importantly, we agreed on additional strengthening of Ukraine’s air defense. There will be new steps to put pressure on Russia over its war – pressure for the sake of peace. Our partners will ensure support for our defense and energy resilience.
It is important that we have a shared understanding of the main challenges and concrete steps to respond to them. Our global unity is truly reducing Russia’s ability to continue this insane and criminal aggression against Ukraine. I thank everyone who is helping us!”
This has got to be my favourite photo of Trump at the G7 summit so far.
Sums the event up nicely, really.
Italy keeping close eye on Trump-Meloni relations after tense months
Rome correspondent
The Italian press has been keeping a close eye on Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni at the G7.
The pair had a falling out in April for two reasons: Italy’s refusal to support the US-Israeli war in Iran and then Trump’s extraordinary broadside against Pope Leo in reaction to the pontiff’s condemnation of the war.
But relations appear to have begun thawing in Evian.
As they met on Tuesday, Trump said “you abandoned me”, and Meloni responded: “That’s not true, we’ve always been friends.”
She later told reporters that “things went well with Trump” after the G7’s first official round of talks. The pair will reportedly meet again on the sidelines.
Before the fallout, Meloni had nurtured good relations with Trump, mostly rooted in shared nationalistic rhetoric, and was the only European leader invited to attend his inauguration as US president.
'I am the boss,' Trump tells G7 leaders before morning session
Meanwhile, back to G7, the White House has published a video of the moment Trump arrived in the room for this morning’s session – and told other leaders “I am the boss.”
Oh, well.
Updated
Rutte also gets asked if Trump is moving closer to Ukraine’s position on ending the war.
He says, obviously, he has “always been positive about the US position,” and praises Trump for “breaking the deadlock” last year.
He says the situation on the battlefield “has changed somewhat” as “Russia is not making advances at the moment.”
He says “Ukraine is really doing better” now, but ending the war needed “two to tango,” and he says Putin does not seem to be ready to join talks yet.
“And here the American president is, I think, playing a very positive role now for a year and a half in trying to get this war done, he wants to get it done, and I completely support him.”
And that ends the presser.
Potential reopening of dialogue with Russia 'clearly debated among allies,' Rutte says
Rutte gets asked about potential reopening of channels with Russia, as advocated by some leaders, including Finland’s Alexander Stubb.
He says “clearly it is something debated among allies,” primarily through the EU, but it’s not something that came up at the Nato level so far.
“It’s really a discussion playing out in the EU at the moment, and of course we are following that, and will be supportive wherever we can.”
Rutte gets pressed on his points about Europe taking more responsibility for their own defence, as he gets challenged that this could take away from their support for Ukraine.
The has the two need to go “hand in hand, and everybody realises that.”
Rutte says that the G7 statement on Ukraine today shows that all Nato allies are “completely commited to making sure that Ukraine maintains its position in the fight against Russia, and is able to defend itself.”
He says the US also continues its support in areas that only they can provide, including the air defence Patriot systems, which is paid for by European and Canadian allies.
He says he wants the summit to deliver “an absolute ironclad commitment” to Nato spending pledges from last year, and to Ukraine.
'We are not naive,' Rutte says on reports China helps Russia with military training
Rutte also gets asked about China’s apparent help to Russia through training, as recently disclosed by the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas.
He says Nato is “constantly trying to follow exactly what China is doing.”
“We are not naive. We follow everything exactly. I cannot tell you more at this moment, or at least in this open press conference, but you can be assured that we follow every [bit].”
Rutte gets asked about the Czech Republic’s troubles with getting to 2% defence spending under Andrej Babiš.
He says:
“We know each other for many years, and I know that the Czech Republic is as committed as everyone to what we decided in The Hague.
Czechia did not reach the 2% last year, but I know that the Czech government is working very hard to make sure that when it comes to a credible trajectory, it will be there.”
Rutte says he expects Zelenskyy to have a full programme of meetings at Nato’s summit in Ankara next month, but notably “no sit down with all the 32 leaders.”
Rutte gets asked about what Ukraine is likely to get from the Nato summit next month.
He says there were already some positive statement coming out of the G7 in France.
He says Nato will “focus particularly, of course, on what Ukraine needs to maintain the fight,” including the flow of military equipment, including the US interceptors for the Patriot system.
He says the focus will be on “making sure the money is there.”
“I’m pretty confident that collectively we’ll make sure you have what you need as far as Europeans and Americans can help to defend yourself,” he says.
Rutte gets pushed further about the question on timeline, which he completely avoided answering at the first time of asking.
He gives a muddled answer, saying it’s impossible to answer this question.
“It’s not that you can answer that question with a yes or no. It’s clear that US has adjusted its commitment to the Nato force model, but it’s in technical terms, it is not a yes or no.”
Rutte gets asked about spending commitments, and some countries that appear to be dragging their feet.
He says that overall, the increases are “really staggering,” with many countries “really ramping up” their spending.
Rutte also gets asked about the potential Nato/European assistance in the strait of Hormuz.
He says it comes outside the Nato framework, but it is clear that France and the UK are coordinating on this, and it was discussed at the G7 summit in France.
“Whether Nato will play a role there, yes or no… if helpful, of course we will play a role, but if they can do it without us, also okay; we are always ready to help if so wanted.”
Let’s say journalists are somewhat suspicious of the positive spin Rutte is putting on the changes to the Nato Force Model.
He gets asked about them further.
He stays on message:
“We have already seen that, as the United States has adjusted its pledge contributions, other allies have stepped up to contribute more, in some cases completely, in some cases nearly, but there are also areas that require more work, but the overall picture is looking good.”
Rutte says the adjustment in the US pledge to the Nato Force Model is “not primarily about where forces and assets are currently, but about who would do what if our defence plans were activated.”
He says historically the model was “overly reliant” on the US.
“Now the US has adjusted its pledged contributions, and other allies have stepped up to contribute more, and this is fair. This makes us stronger,” he argues.
Rutte also chooses to address the speculations about the US military presence in Europe.
He says:
“You will likely have seen news adjusting its contributions to the Nato force model. In some cases, this has been cast as a problem, as the US pulling away from its allies, but that is not the reality. The US has made clear that it is committed to Nato.
That commitment comes with an expectation that allies will more fairly share the responsibility for our security here in Europe.”
He says that European allies and Canada are capable of shouldering more responsibility for Nato’s activities.
Updated
Nato faces 'dynamic security environment,' secretary general Rutte says
Rutte is speaking now.
He says tomorrow’s meeting of Nato’s defence ministers will be the last before next month’s Ankara summit.
“We have a lot to talk about,” he says.
Rutte says Nato continues to “face a dynamic security environment,” which is presumably an euphemism for, erm, “the world is on fire.”
But, as he does so often, he then swiftly moves to praising Trump, this time for his Iran deal. He says Nato allies, such as France and the UK, are ready to support operations in the strait of Hormuz.
More broadly, he says Nato needs “more forces, more resources, and a much stronger industrial base.”
He says allies will be expected to give an update on how they are meeting the 5% GDP target by 2035.
“So I expect nations to present clear, concrete, credible plans to reach that goal, ideally well ahead of the agreed timeline.”
Nato's Rutte briefing media ahead of defence ministers's meeting, summit next month
Meanwhile, let’s cross to Brussels, where Nato secretary general Mark Rutte is about to give his press conference ahead of tomorrow’s meeting of defence ministers – and less than a month before the alliance’s annual summit in Ankara.
You can watch along below, and I will bring you all the key lines here.
There he is!
As day 2 of the summit gets under way, it briefly looked like we would have a prominent absence with the US secretary of commerce, Scott Bessent taking the seat between Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer.
But just as Macron was instructing leaders how to use their microphones, the US president, Donald Trump, arrived slightly late and took the US seat.
Updated
G7 summit continues with talks on economic growth, AI - in pictures
Day 2 of the G7 summit is about to formally get under way, with the focus today on economic growth and AI.
Let’s show you some pictures from inside the room as the invited leaders are gathering for their opening session.
Can Trump be convinced to back Ukraine? - The Latest podcast
Donald Trump has urged Russia to “make a deal” with Ukraine as the leaders of G7 countries meet on Tuesday and try to put the conflict back at the top of the agenda.
European leaders are hoping to capture Trump’s attention for long enough to speak to him about Ukraine, with the US president’s focus more on the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Nosheen Iqbal speaks to the Guardian’s Europe correspondent, Jon Henley.
Starmer’s waning influence is apparent at awkward G7 summit
in Évian les-Bains
The wait for Keir Starmer’s first session of the G7 gathering in Évian-les-Bains was undoubtedly awkward.
A meeting about the future of Ukraine had been due to start at 9am but more than half an hour later, Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron were nowhere to be seen.
On a live Reuters feed, Starmer could be seen standing next to the leaders of Canada and Japan as they milled about making small talk. “Are they, are they having a meeting?” the British prime minister could be heard asking.
If he was referring to the missing attenders, and they were indeed having a meeting, it was clear he hadn’t been invited.
It was a moment that epitomised Starmer’s fragility during what could be one of his final outings on the world stage.
Arriving on the red carpet at the Hotel Royal, the luxurious G7 venue on the shores of Lake Geneva, he smiled and shook hands, seemingly untroubled by the prospect of a leadership challenge that could come within days if Andy Burnham is elected in the Makerfield byelection on Thursday.
Morning opening: G7 commits to 'unwavering support for Ukraine'
Despite some early concerns about Donald Trump’s position, the G7 leaders meeting in France have agreed on a statement declaring their “unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”
The statement, published overnight, says:
“We commend Ukraine for its resilience and progress on the battlefield in recent months and emphasise there is now a new momentum.
To support and accelerate this new momentum, we agree to increase the delivery of air defence capacities, additional systems and interceptors, and long-range capabilities.
We are also ready to consider extending to Ukraine the benefit of licenses to allow for an increase in Ukraine’s military production.”
In a classic Trump-era move, the statement on Ukraine also includes some pointed praise of the US president in a pointed attempt to keep him on side:
“We commit to increase the pressure on the Russian war economy. In this context, we will strengthen our sanctions, including those on the oil and gas sectors. We consider this the right moment to proceed with additional measures, as president Trump has delivered a deal that we support in reopening the strait of Hormuz.”
I guess, whatever works, right?
The leaders will continue their talks today discussing economic growth and AI, with the latter session likely to get some attention as they will meet with the bosses of OpenAI and Anthropic.
Later tonight, France’s Emmanuel Macron will host the US president at the Palace of Versailles to mark the 250th anniversary of the US independence. Unusually enthused Trump said last night that it was “a real deal,” and that he was looking forward to it.
Separately, we will hear from Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte this morning ahead of tomorrow’s meeting of the alliance’s defence ministers – and less than a month before the much-dreaded Ankara summit, which once again will be all about keeping Trump on side.
Lots to cover today.
It’s Wednesday, 17 June 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
