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3 'wars' to dominate economic bloc's meeting: Israel-Iran, Ukraine and Trump's tariffs
As Canada gears up to host the G7 Summit in Alberta, 3 wars will be on the leaders' agenda: the Russia-Ukraine war, the West Asian Crisis, and the trade war that US President Donald Trump has ensued read more
US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The Canadian PM earlier in May said his government is talking to the US about joining the Golden Dome missile defence program. AFP
Canada is all set to host the G7 Summit , where leaders from some of the most powerful nations will discuss the global crises that have engulfed the world. At the centre of these discussions will be two wars and the brewing conflict, which many fear can turn into a war. High on the agenda will be the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the war in Gaza.
However, the recent turn of events between Israel and Iran would shift the focus to the brewing crisis in West Asia. Israel's decision to strike Iran's nuclear and military facilities and Iran's retaliation would now compel the member nations to discuss the issue instead of discussing the looming Trump tariffs.
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At the heart of these issues would be the UK, France, Germany and Italy - along with Canada and Japan's bid to influence US President Donald Trump, with hopes of America taking a more conventional approach instead of a provocative one.
Here's a look at the 3 wars G7 leaders will be focusing on
3 wars | 1 Summit
### Russia-Ukraine war
Key to the debate will be the ongoing war in Ukraine and Trump's ever-changing stance on Russia. Since most member states in the G7 are allies of Ukraine, they would want to put more pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table.
The European allies argued that one way of bringing Russia to the table was by hitting its economy. During the G7 Summit, the Ukrainian allies would focus on calling for the reduction of the price that most of the world pays for Russian oil. They would also like a tough new package of economic sanctions.
The main task at hand would be getting Trump's support since the POTUS has been an ardent supporter of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. On Saturday, Putin and Trump held a phone call in which the Russian leader wished him on his birthday and expressed his intention to sit for peace talks with Ukraine.
### Crisis in West Asia
While the G7 leaders were meant to speak on the war in Gaza, the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel would also take centre stage during discussions at the Summit. While French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed criticism towards Israel, UK PM Keir Starmer and Trump have expressed ardent support for Israe l amid clashes with Iran.
The Trump administration is also looking at how the ongoing tension in West Asia is hampering its nuclear talks with Iran, which were initiated earlier this year in Oman. Israel's activities in Gaza might also be on the agenda, given that the UN has been frequently raising concerns about the humanitarian crisis on the coastal strip and calls for a ceasefire remain persistent.
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### Tariff war
With Trump in attendance, most of the leaders would also focus on discussing his proposed reciprocal tariffs , which have now been paused. The club of some of the world's richest industrial nations was set up in the 1970s to discuss global economic crises, and now the same members will be discussing the tariffs imposed by one country, which can severely impact the global economy.
'If the question is how we coordinate on China, how we coordinate on technology, how we coordinate on Russia and Ukraine - how can we have this kind of alliance between advanced-economy democracies if we're also creating economic hardship on our countries by something that's coming from another member?' Josh Lipsky, senior director of the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Centre, told the BBC on the matter.
While the UK has already signed a bilateral trade deal with the US, other nations, especially India and Japan, would also be discussing similar suits with the American president.
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