Kananaskis: US President Donald Trump departed the Group of Seven summit in Canada a day earlier than scheduled, driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East, the White House announced on Monday. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt conveyed on X that Trump's early exit was prompted by the pressing need to address the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, with Israel urging the US to consider military intervention.
According to France24.com, French President Emmanuel Macron revealed that Trump had proposed a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Trump's early departure from the summit raised eyebrows, as a US official confirmed that he would not be signing a draft statement advocating for de-escalation in the region. Despite this, Macron perceived Trump’s exit as a constructive step towards potentially achieving a ceasefire. "There is indeed an offer to meet and exchange. An offer was made especially to get a ceasefire and to then kick-start broader discussions," Macron stated, emphasizing the importance of whether the involved parties would adhere to the proposal.
The G7 leaders, representing Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US, along with the European Union, had gathered in the picturesque Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies. Prior to his departure, Trump, in a discussion with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, criticized the decision to exclude Russia from the Group of Eight in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea. He argued that this exclusion was a significant mistake and speculated that Russia might not have invaded Ukraine in 2022 had President Vladimir Putin not been ousted from the group.
Despite Trump's remarks, he stopped short of advocating for Russia's reinstatement in the group, casting doubts on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's potential achievements during his scheduled meeting with the leaders on Tuesday. "It was a rough start," commented Josh Lipsky, a former senior IMF official, now leading the international economics department at the Atlantic Council, reflecting on the challenging dynamics within the summit.
The summit saw European nations striving to convince Trump to support harsher sanctions on Moscow. Nonetheless, the Ukrainian embassy in Canada confirmed that Zelensky remained committed to attending the summit. Meanwhile, Canada decided against pursuing a comprehensive communique to avoid a repeat of the 2018 summit in Quebec, where Trump had abruptly instructed the US delegation to withdraw its endorsement of the final communique after his departure.
Despite the absence of a unified communique, summit leaders prepared multiple draft documents, covering topics like migration, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals. However, none received US approval, as per sources familiar with the drafts. A European diplomat expressed uncertainty about any declarations being made without Trump's presence.
Carney extended invitations to non-G7 members, including Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea, Brazil, and Ukraine, to participate in the summit discussions. On a positive note, Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer finalized a trade agreement reached in the previous month, positioning Britain as the first nation to secure a deal for reduced US tariffs. Carney and Trump also agreed to endeavor towards a new economic and security agreement within 30 days.
While Trump acknowledged the possibility of a new economic deal with host nation Canada, he underscored the necessity of tariffs, a stance strongly opposed by the Canadian government. "Our position is that we should have no tariffs on Canadian exports to the United States," stated Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to Washington.