G7 leaders meet in France after U.S. and Iran declare agreement to end war

📌 Summary:

• Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) wealthy nations met at the French lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains on June 15, 2026, shortly after the U.S. and Iran said they had reached a preliminary deal to end their war
• The June 15-17 summit agenda includes: next steps on Iran, the war in Ukraine, tackling global economic imbalances, and sourcing critical minerals outside the dominant supplier, China
• The critical-minerals discussion reflects a Western push to "de-risk" supply chains from Chinese dominance in rare earths and processing
• India is typically invited as an "outreach"/guest country to G7 summits, making the agenda (energy, minerals, Ukraine, West Asia) directly relevant to Indian foreign and economic policy

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 (International Relations) — plurilateral groupings, global economic governance, critical minerals geopolitics and India's engagement with the G7

📝 Prelims Facts:

• The G7 comprises the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan (plus the EU as a "non-enumerated" member)
• The 2026 summit venue: Evian-les-Bains, France (June 15-17)
• Russia was part of the erstwhile G8 but was suspended in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea
• "Critical minerals" include rare earth elements vital for clean energy, EVs and electronics, where China dominates processing

🔑 Key Term: Critical minerals — minerals (e.g., lithium, cobalt, rare earths) essential for strategic and clean-energy technologies, with supply concentrated in a few countries