Trump leaves G7 summit early ahead of anticipated June 17 meeting with Zelensky

Editor's note: This is a breaking story and is being updated.

U.S. President Donald Trump departed the G7 Leaders' Summit late on June 16, ahead of an anticipated high-stakes meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 17.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the departure comes as Trump is set to attend to "important matters."

"Because of what’s going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight after dinner with Heads of State," Leavitt wrote on X.

"I have to be back as soon as I can... because of what's going on in the Middle East" Trump told reporters.

"I have to be back early for obvious reasons," Trump said, without further elaborating.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned ahead of the departure that "Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!"

It was not immediately clear as to whether Trump will return for the final day of the summit on June 17.

Zelensky is expected to participate in previously planned G7 events as scheduled.

Zelensky was expected to meet with Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit on June 17, marking their third in-person meeting since the American president took office in January. The proposed meeting was set to serve as an inflection point for Zelensky as pressure mounts on Trump from Western allies.

"Both teams are working to ensure we meet," Zelensky said on June 14 during a closed-door briefing attended by the Kyiv Independent.

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