Zelensky leaves G7 early without meeting Trump as Canada drops Ukraine statement amid US pushback

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is cutting his visit to Canada short and will return to Kyiv following the conclusion of G7 talks on June 17, a source told a Kyiv Independent journalist on the ground.

He had been scheduled to travel to Calgary for additional events and a press conference, but those plans have been cancelled.

The change comes in the wake of a deadly Russian missile strike on Kyiv overnight, as well as changes to the G7 agenda.

Canada dropped plans for the Group of Seven to issue a joint statement on the war in Ukraine after the United States pushed to weaken the language, according to a Canadian official speaking on the sidelines of the summit. The official said Canada felt a watered-down version would not be fair to Ukraine.

Instead, the positions of the remaining six G7 members will be reflected in a separate statement expected from Prime Minister Mark Carney later in the day.

Zelensky had travelled to the summit hoping to meet one-on-one with U.S. President Donald Trump and to push for stronger sanctions against Russia. However, Trump left the summit early, citing the crisis in the Middle East, and no bilateral meeting or unified G7 statement took place.