Anthony Albanese embraces Zelensky - as he prepares for his next chance to meet Trump

Daily Mail​

4 hours ago

Anthony Albanese has hugged Volodymyr Zelensky in a gesture of solidarity with the Ukrainian president.
The two leaders were seen embracing as they gathered for a photo on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada on Wednesday AEST.
Albanese has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine in its three-year struggle against Russian invasion.
His moment with Zelensky came shortly after Russia had bombarded Kiev with a combination of missiles and drones, destroying an apartment block and killing at least 15 people.
After missing out on a face-to-face meeting with Trump at the summit, the prime minister instead met with the US President's senior economic team on Wednesday AEST.
He described Trump's abrupt exit from the summit due to the Israel-Iran conflict as 'understandable' and insisted they would meet 'soon'.
'We're mature about the circumstances of what happened,' he said.
'It's perfectly understandable. We'll reschedule a meeting. From time to time, that is what occurs.
'It's understandable (with) what's occurring in the Middle East.
'President Trump has made very public the reasons why he went back to Washington and there was a meeting of the NSC (National Security Council).'
It was a crucial blow for Albanese to miss out on face time with Trump as he tries to shore up the AUKUS submarine deal, now under review by the US, and to negotiate an easing of tariffs on Australian goods.
It also emerged that Trump failed to call him after cancelling their meeting, though Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had what she described as a 'very good' phone call with Trump after their meeting was also cancelled.
But Albanese might get another chance to meet Trump in person within days.
The White House confirmed this month that Trump will attend the NATO Summit in the Netherlands next week, though his presence may now be in doubt because of the rapidly changing situation in the Middle East.
Asked on Wednesday if he would also attend, Albanese said: 'I'm considering (it).
'I had discussions with a range of people over the last couple of days obviously, including, I met with the NATO Secretary-General yesterday.'
The prime minister also met with Albanese met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, French President Emmanuel Macron and EU President Ursula von der Leyen.
While Albanese's visit had US tariffs at the top of the agenda, the government was also pushing to resurrect a long-stalled free trade agreement with the European Union.
During talks with the German Chancellor, Albanese said he was 'very keen on getting it done quickly' and Merz immediately offered to help.