When US President Donald Trump last came to Canada for a G7 summit, the enduring image was of him seated with his arms folded defiantly as then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel stared daggers at him.
If there is a shared mission at this year’s G7 summit, which begins on Monday in Canada’s Rocky Mountains, it is a desire to minimise any fireworks at a moment of combustible tensions.
The central issue will be whether the group of major industrialised nations can find a common position despite significant differences between Washington and the other members.
Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney is hosting the event and the visit marks Trump’s first visit to Canada during his new term.
Leaders who are not part of the G7 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.
In recent months, the US president has caused severe tensions with his northern neighbour by imposing punitive tariffs and repeatedly demanding that Canada relinquish its independence and become part of the US. This has sparked widespread outrage in Canada.
Trump has also hit several dozen nations with severe tariffs that risk a global economic slowdown.
There is little progress on settling the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and now a new and escalating conflict between Israel and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Add to all of that the problems of climate change, immigration, drug trafficking, new technologies such as artificial intelligence and China’s continued manufacturing superiority and chokehold on key supply chains.
Asked if he planned to announce any trade agreements at the G7 as he left the White House on Sunday, Trump replied: “We have our trade deals. All we have to do is send a letter, ‘This is what you’re going to have to pay.’ But I think we’ll have a few, few new trade deals.”
At stake might be the survival of the G7 itself at a time when the Trump administration has sent mixed signals about whether the president will attend the November Group of 20 summit in South Africa.
What Trump opposed at the 2018 summit in Quebec was a focus on having alliances with a shared set of standards seeking to shape policies.
The German, UK, Japanese and Italian governments have each signalled a belief that a friendly relationship with Trump this year can reduce the likelihood of outbursts.
“Well, I have got a good relationship with President Trump, and that’s important,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday as he flew to Canada.
There is no plan for a joint statement this year from the G7, a sign that the Trump administration sees no need to build a shared consensus with fellow democracies if it views such a statement as contrary to its goals of new tariffs, more fossil fuel production and a Europe that is less dependent on the US military.
The White House has stayed decidedly mum about its goals for the G7, which originated as a 1973 finance ministers’ meeting to address the oil crisis and steadily evolved into a yearly summit that is meant to foster personal relationships among world leaders and address global problems.
Trump will have at least three scheduled bilateral meetings during the summit with other world leaders while in Canada, staring on Monday with Carney.
The US president is also expected to have bilateral meetings with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to an administration official.
The Trump administration has insisted that its broad tariffs will produce trade agreements that box out China, though it’s unclear how antagonising trade partners would make them want to strengthen their reliance on the US.
Carney has been outspoken in saying his country can no longer look to the U.S. as an enduring friend.
That might leave Trump with the awkward task of wanting to keep his tariffs in place while also trying to convince other countries that they’re better off siding with the US than China.
with dpa
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