G7 leaders pose for family photo as Trump cuts short Canada visit amid Middle East tensions
Kananaskis (Alberta) [Canada], June 17 (ANI): The G7 summit is proceeding without US President Donald Trump, who departed early to address the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, CBC news reported.
The leaders gathered for a family photo in Kananaskis before Trump's departure.
Trump left the summit in Kananaskis, Canada, after Monday night's family dinner, citing the need to attend to pressing matters in the Middle East.
Trump expressed satisfaction with the summit's progress.
'I have to be back early. I loved it. I tell you I loved it. And I think we got a lot done,' Trump told reporters Monday evening (local time), according to CBC News.
'But we had just a really great relationship with everybody. It was really nice. I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they understand, this is big stuff,' he added.
Trump's departure means he will miss non-G7 leaders attending the summit Tuesday, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the report said.
The summit has shifted its focus to address the Middle East crisis, with leaders discussing ways to respond to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. The G7 has issued a joint statement reaffirming that 'Iran can never have a nuclear weapon' and calling for immediate de-escalation across the Middle East.
Carney and Trump have also committed to reaching a trade deal within 30 days.
Following Trump's departure, Prime Minister Mark Carney, chair of this year's summit in Alberta, said he 'fully understands' why Trump made an early exit and is 'grateful for the president's presence.'
Earlier Monday, during his bilateral meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump hinted that he might have to leave early when asked about bringing Iran to the table.
'I think Iran basically is at the negotiating table. They want to make a deal,' he said. 'And as soon as I leave here, we're going to be doing something. But I have to leave here. I have ... this commitment. I have a lot of commitments.'
G7 leaders released a joint statement late that same night calling for a 'de-escalation' of hostilities in the Middle East.
The joint statement from the group -- made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the European Union -- affirms Israel's right to defend itself and recognizes Iran as 'the principal source of regional instability and terror' but also calls for some sort of 'resolution.'
'We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza,' the leaders said in their statement, made public after a working dinner at the summit. (ANI)
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