President Donald Trump has arrived in Canada for the G7 summit, a gathering of the world’s leading advanced economies, at a time of heightened global tensions and ongoing disputes over trade. His arrival in the Canadian Rockies marks a pivotal moment in US foreign policy, particularly with allies he has clashed with over tariffs and military support.
As the summit opened, Trump emphasised that trade will be his top priority during discussions. Speaking at a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump said a US-Canada trade agreement was 'achievable,' though he acknowledged that he and Carney had different approaches. “I have a tariff concept, because I am a tariff person,” Trump stated. “Carney has a more complex idea, but very good.”
When asked about the possibility of direct US involvement in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, Trump declined to outline specific conditions, instead urging Iran to return to negotiations over its nuclear programme. “They should talk, and they should talk immediately,” Trump said. He added, “I’d say Iran is not winning this war.”
Trump once again questioned the decision to expel Russia from the G8 following its 2014 annexation of Crimea. “The G7 used to be the G8. Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn’t want to have Russia in,” Trump said, referring to former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “And I would say that was a mistake, because I think you wouldn’t have a war right now if you had Russia in, and you wouldn’t have a war right now if Trump were president four years ago.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, in his opening remarks, acknowledged Trump’s recent birthday, saying, “I didn’t have the chance to see you on the day,” and stressed the importance of US leadership in the G7. “The G7 is nothing without US leadership,” Carney said, thanking Trump for his “personal leadership.”
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Trump began the summit with a private conversation with Carney, captured in a photo showing an unusual detail—Trump seated in front of the Canadian flag and Carney in front of the US flag. The two leaders are expected to hold a formal meeting later with their respective aides. U.S. officials also confirmed that Trump will hold a brief sideline meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and he is expected to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer later in the day.
According to a report by CBS News cited by international news agencies, Trump does not plan to sign the G7’s joint draft statement on the Israel-Iran conflict. The draft urges both nations to de-escalate tensions and protect regional stability. Instead, Trump issued a stern warning to Iran: “If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US armed forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.”
Trump’s warning comes in the wake of Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, which targeted Iran’s defence ministry headquarters in Tehran and struck the world's largest natural gas processing facility in Bushehr Province, linked to the South Pars gas field. In retaliation, Iran launched Operation True Promise 3, which included waves of drone and missile strikes beginning Saturday night and continuing into the early hours of Sunday.
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