Leaders of the world’s most powerful nations met in Canada on Monday for the annual G7 summit, as wars in the Middle East and Ukraine overshadowed the planned economic agenda. The summit opened with visible differences among members, especially after US President Donald Trump refused to support a joint appeal for calm in the ongoing Israel–Iran conflict.Trump to leave earlyDonald Trump will leave the summit on Monday night, cutting his visit short due to the growing Middle East crisis. According to the White House, Trump wants to focus on developments between Israel and Iran. US blocks concensusTrump also refused to join other G7 leaders in a joint call for de-escalation in the region. European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, had tried to reach a joint statement urging calm. However, Trump’s opposition blocked a consensus, limiting the group’s ability to show unity on the issue.US–UK trade agreementTrump and Starmer confirmed on Monday that they had finalised a new trade deal. The agreement will lower US tariffs on British goods, including cars, steel, aluminium, and aerospace equipment. Trump signed an executive order shortly after the announcement, cutting tariffs on British cars from 25% to 10%, and allowing limited quantities of British steel and aluminium into the US without tariffs. Canada–US trade talks Trump also met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the summit. Following the meeting, both sides agreed to intensify negotiations for a bilateral trade deal within the next 30 days.Trump wants Russia Trump again called for Russia to be readmitted into the G7, saying Moscow should never have been excluded. Russia was removed from the group, formerly known as the G8, after it annexed Crimea in 2014. He further said the Ukraine war would not have happened if Russia had remained part of the group. Macron warnsFrench President Macron said sanctions on Russia should go “much further,” urging the G7 to tighten economic pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. He also called any attempt to force regime change in Iran a “strategic error.”
