Photos of Lavra in flames following Russian strike prompted Trump to support Ukraine at G7 summit, - Politico
The release of photos showing the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra damaged by a Russian strike on June 15 served as the final impetus that convinced U.S. President Donald Trump to support Ukraine in a joint statement following the G7 summit in France.
This was reported by Politico, citing three unnamed sources familiar with the matter, according to Censor.NET.
Trump was moved
It is noted that the "decisive moment" of the G7 summit in France came on Tuesday, when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed Trump photographs of the burning Cathedral of the Dormition in Kyiv during their meeting.
According to three G7 officials, the sight of the golden domes engulfed in flames and the destruction caused by the Russian strike on the shrine made a noticeable impression on the U.S. president.
Photos of the Lavra’s golden domes engulfed in flames were likely the final push that led the U.S. leader to offer more decisive support for Ukraine in the joint declaration adopted on Wednesday, June 17.
"I think [he] was genuinely moved," said one of the G7 officials.
How the G7 leaders convinced him
However, even before that, French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted the summit, had made efforts to influence the unpredictable American leader.
Initially, the meeting in the resort town of Evian was expected to be a diplomatic failure. It would have been considered a success simply if Trump had not left the summit early. However, Macron ultimately achieved an unexpected success: he managed to convince Trump to change his position and persuade him to commit to additional military support for Kyiv.
Indeed, during dinner, the G7 leaders portrayed Ukraine as the victor and Russia as the losing side at this stage of the war, and they also praised Trump’s deal with Iran—mentioning it three times in the final communiqué. Furthermore, Trump’s tardiness and his statement that he was "the boss here" were effectively ignored.
"They explained to Trump, all together, that Zelenskyy was winning because Russia … cannot cross the frontline and is even losing territory. And Russia is continuing to hit civilians, sacred sites," a European diplomat said.
The main message was that a weakened Moscow is becoming increasingly desperate and is striking out at random because it is weakened and in despair.
All of this paid off: all G7 countries, including the United States, supported the imposition of additional sanctions against Russia and on Wednesday pledged "unwavering support" for Kyiv.
What preceded it
- As a result of the shelling of Kyiv on June 15, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra sustained damage. In particular, the Cathedral of the Dormition was damaged.
- The National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO strongly condemns yet another Russian attack, which has damaged the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra
- —a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a cultural property under enhanced protection under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its 1999 Second Protocol.
- They demanded a firm and clear response from the leadership of the UNESCO Secretariat, calling for the use of the tools available to the UNESCO Executive Board, the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, and the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
- Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Olena Kondratiuk called on UNESCO member states to expel Russia from the organization following the attack on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
