‘Outside chance' Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles could meet face-to-face with Trump this week after Albanese's G7 snub
There is an 'outside chance' Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles could meet President Donald Trump face-to-face at the NATO summit in the coming days after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was snubbed at the G7 last week.
The summit is set to take place at the Hague, the Netherlands, on June 24 to the 26.
A Canberra source told Sky News political correspondent Cameron Reddin the Defence Minister had an 'outside chance' of becoming the first member of government to meet the leader of the free world, although it was a 'very fluid situation'.
Trump is due to fly to the Netherlands on Tuesday and may meet with the four Indo-Pacific nations, Australia, New Zealand, Korea and Japan, who form the IP4 meeting, to take place this week.
However, Mr Albanese was not alone in his decision not to attend the NATO summit and was joined by South Korea and Japan whose leaders would also skip the trip.
Japan's Fuji Television said Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was pulling out because a planned meeting between NATO and the group of four Indo-Pacific nations (IP4) was not likely to take place, and because a meeting with Trump was also unlikely.
Japan said Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will travel to the Netherlands to attend NATO-related functions and hold bilateral meetings.
Speaking to Sky News on Tuesday, Nationals Senator Matt Canavan said if Mr Marles did manage to score a one-on-one with Trump it would be 'very embarrassing' for the Prime Minister.
'This is a big problem now that our Prime Minister hasn't met with President Trump six months after his election,' he said.
' There has been ample time to do that.'
Mr Canavan said he did not blame Mr Albanese for being snubbed at the G7 as it was 'out of his control', but a meeting in Washington in the six months since Trump's inauguration should have occurred.
'Many other leaders have done this. We're one of the Five Eyes nations, so one of the four most important allies to the United States,' he said.
'It is unacceptable that our government, our Prime Minister, has not met with the new Prime Minister six months after (Trump's) election.'
Over the weekend, Sky News revealed Mr Albanese had yet to receive a phone call from Trump after their meeting was cancelled at the G7 summit in Canada.
As of Saturday, Mr Albanese had not received a phone call from Trump, even though he contacted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
There has been no indication that the President has contacted other cancelled counterparts, such as South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, or Mr Albanese.
The Albanese government has suggested there is no cause for concern, despite the highly-visible diplomatic snub.
A meeting between the two leaders is still agreed to, according to senior government sources - and the question is simply when, not if.
-with Reuters
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