Statement by Federal Chancellor Merz at the conclusion of the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains
Federal Chancellor Merz gave a positive assessment following the G7 summit in France. There are clear, joint messages on both Iran and Ukraine. Furthermore, progress has been made in the necessary discussions on geoeconomic imbalances.
- Transcript of press conference
- Wednesday, 17 June 2026
Chancellor Merz described it as success that participants at the G7 Summit managed to find common ground on the major foreign and security policy issues.
Photo: Federal Government/Jesco Denzel
At the conclusion of the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the joint summit declaration on Iran and Ukraine as a success. The common language reached on Ukraine is precisely what makes this “message so abundantly clear”: namely that support from the G7 countries is stronger than almost ever before. Their shared determination has paid off, even though the road to peace remains a difficult one. “But we have made some progress,” said the Chancellor.
Willingness to take action in the Strait of Hormuz
This also applies to the Middle East. The agreement between the United States and Iran is a “great success”. This should now be followed by further negotiations. Federal Chancellor Merz emphasised once more that Germany would help in this area too. This could involve a military operation in the Strait of Hormuz, subject to obtaining the relevant authorisation from the Bundestag.
Finally, progress has also been made in the necessary discussions on geoeconomic imbalances. Part of this is down to monetary policy imbalances, which need to be discussed further. It was also agreed that there would be even closer cooperation on critical raw materials and artificial intelligence.
Read the transcript of the press statement here (only German):