GENEVA — G7 leaders are expected to adopt a final communiqué on Tuesday as the annual summit in Geneva enters its closing phase, with Swiss federal police maintaining a reinforced security cordon around the Palexpo conference center following violent clashes between anti-G7 demonstrators and law enforcement that erupted over the weekend.
Swiss authorities deployed water cannons and tear gas on Sunday and Monday after protest groups — including climate activists, anti-war coalitions, and critics of Western trade policy — attempted to breach the security perimeter. At least 34 protesters were detained according to Geneva cantonal police, with several officers reported injured. Organizers claimed tens of thousands participated in the broader demonstrations across the city.
The communiqué is expected to include coordinated language on Ukraine reconstruction financing, a framework for AI governance referencing discussions that senior Anthropic staff are separately holding with White House officials in Washington this week, and a renewed commitment to sanctions enforcement against Russia. The 55-minute Trump-Putin phone call reported by the Kremlin on Sunday has cast a shadow over G7 unity on the Ukraine file, with European leaders pressing Washington for clarity on whether U.S. policy toward Moscow is shifting ahead of the statement's release.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are understood to have held an early-morning bilateral meeting on Tuesday to align their positions on a proposed joint EU-G7 defense investment pledge, according to European diplomatic sources. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has been vocal about reducing dependency on U.S. technology exports following new AI chip restrictions, is also expected to raise the issue formally during the closing plenary.
Analysts note that the Geneva summit's final declaration will be scrutinized closely for any softening of language on Russia, particularly in light of the Trump-Putin conversation. 'The communiqué wording on Ukraine is the real test of whether the G7 still speaks with one voice,' said a senior European Council official who requested anonymity. Protest groups have vowed to gather again outside the venue as the closing ceremony concludes Tuesday afternoon.