G7 Leaders Convene in Canada as Global Crises Shadow the Summit
A landmark sign of the G7 2025 logo is seen on the lawn of the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge ahead of the Group of 7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, on June 16. [AFP/YONHAP]
Leaders of some of the world’s biggest economies are arriving in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday for a Group of 7 summit, overshadowed by an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and U.S. President Donald Trump’s unresolved trade war.
Israel’s strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation, which appeared to catch many world leaders unawares, is the latest sign of a more volatile world.
Trump in recent days vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a U.S. official told The Associated Press, in an indication of how far Israel was prepared to go.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had discussed efforts to de-escalate the crisis with Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as other world leaders and said he expected “intense discussions” would continue at the summit.
As summit host, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has decided to abandon the annual practice of issuing a joint statement, or communiqué, at the end of the meeting.
With other leaders wanting to talk to Trump in an effort to talk him out of imposing tariffs, the summit risks being a series of bilateral conversations rather than a show of unity.
Trump is the summit wild card. Looming over the meeting are his inflammatory threats to make Canada the 51st state and take over Greenland. French President Emmanuel Macron visited Greenland on Sunday for a highly symbolic stop on his way to Canada. Macron warned that Greenland is “not to be sold” nor “to be taken."
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he departs the White House to attend the Group of 7 summit in Canada, in Washington on June 15. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
“Everybody in France, the European Union thinks that Greenland is not to be sold, not to be taken,” he said during a news conference, applauded by the local crowd.
“The situation in Greenland is clearly a wake-up call for all Europeans. Let me tell you very directly that you’re not alone,” Macron added.
Trump is scheduled to arrive late Sunday in Kananaskis, Alberta. He will have a bilateral meeting with Carney on Monday morning before the summit program begins.
Leaders who are not part of the Group of 7 but have been invited to the summit by Carney include the heads of state of India, Ukraine, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, Australia, Mexico and the UAE. Avoiding tariffs will continue to be top of mind.
“Leaders, and there are some new ones coming, will want to meet Donald Trump,” said Peter Boehm, Canada’s counselor at the 2018 Group of 7 summit in Quebec and a veteran of six Group of 7 summits. “Trump doesn’t like the big round table as much as he likes the one-on-one.”
Bilateral meetings with the American president can be fraught, as Trump has used them to try to intimidate the leaders of Ukraine and South Africa.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien told a panel this week that if Trump does act out, leaders should ignore him and remain calm like Carney did in his recent Oval Office meeting.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer is greeted by Bearspaw First Nation Chief Darcy Dixon, at Calgary International Airport, before the start of the Group of 7 summit, in Calgary, Alberta on June 15. [AP/YONHAP]
“He tends to be a bully,” Chretien said. “If Trump has decided to make a show to be in the news, he will do something crazy. Let him do it and keep talking normally.”
Last month, Britain and the United States announced they had struck a trade deal that will slash U.S. tariffs on U.K. autos, steel and aluminum. It has yet to take effect, however, though British officials say they are not concerned the Trump administration might go back on its word.
Starmer’s attempts to woo Trump have left him in an awkward position with Canada, the U.K.’s former colony, close ally and fellow Commonwealth member. Starmer has also drawn criticism — especially from Canadians — for failing to address Trump’s stated desire to make Canada the 51st state.
Asked if he has told Trump to stop the 51st state threats, Starmer told The Associated Press: “I’m not going to get into the precise conversations I’ve had, but let me be absolutely clear: Canada is an independent, sovereign country and a much-valued member of the Commonwealth.”
The war in Ukraine will be on the agenda. President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to attend the summit and is expected to meet with Trump, a reunion coming just months after their bruising Oval Office encounter which laid bare the risks of having a meeting with the U.S. president.
Starmer met with Carney in Ottawa before the summit for talks focused on security and trade, in the first visit to Canada by a British prime minister for eight years.
German officials were keen to counter the suggestion that the summit would be a “six against one” event, noting that the Group of 7 countries have plenty of differences of emphasis among themselves on various issues.
“The only problem you cannot forecast is what the president of the United States will do depending on the mood and the need to be in the news," said Chretien.
AP
Post a Comment for "G7 Leaders Convene in Canada as Global Crises Shadow the Summit"
Post a Comment