G7 abandons joint Ukraine statement as wars head agenda
"Even if the American President is not putting enough pressure on Russia right now, the truth is that America still has the broadest global interests and the largest number of allies. All of them will need strong protection," he said in a post on his Telegram account.
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Courier-Mail
32 minutes ago
- Courier-Mail
Albanese's fresh snub from Trump snub
Don't miss out on the headlines from National. Followed categories will be added to My News. Anthony Albanese has managed to meet some senior Americans at the G7 in Canada – even if it's not Donald Trump himself. On Tuesday morning, hours after the US president left the G7 venue at Kananaskis in The Rocky Mountains for Washington DC, Mr Albanese teed up plan B US meeting a powwow with US treasury secretary Scott Bessant, the most senior American that remained at the G7 summit. However, in what looks like an example of Mr Trump valuing relationships with other nations above Australia, it's been confirmed the US president spoke at least on the phone to a leader whose G7 meeting he additionally missed due to his early departure. Mr Albanese is now 'considering' attending the NATO summit in Europe next week which could lead to a meeting with Mr Trump. Also at the summit, Australia announced further sanctions on Russia's 'shadow fleet' of ships that are designed to avoid sanctions on oil exports. Australia will also start negotiations with the European Union on a security and defence partnership. X SUBSCRIBER ONLY Trump calls leader he snubbed, not Albo On Tuesday, local time, The White House has confirmed that Mr Trump and Mexico's president Claudia Sheinbaum had a phone call. Mr Trump had been expected to meet Ms Sheinbaum at the G7, but like Mr Albanese that meeting was cancelled. Asked by if he would appreciate a phone call from Mr Trump, as Ms Sheinbaum had received, the PM said he 'wasn't driven by issues like that'. 'There's important things happening and (Mr Trump's departure) is understandable. 'I'm mature about things like that'. Mr Trump's departure from Canada, after just one day of the two day summit, was undoubtedly a blow for the PM. While he may not have relished meeting with the mercurial Mr Trump, Australia also had issues to discuss: from the AUKUS defence deal to tariffs. Besides, Mr Albanese has never met Mr Trump in person and that lack of face time is becoming somewhat awkward. The PM told reporters that there was no date set to meet Mr Trump. 'Meetings are rescheduled, that's what happens,' he said. Mr Albanese meUS treasury secretary Mr Bessant and, separately with Australia's US ambassador Kevin Rudd, US trade representative Jamieson Greer and the director of the US National Economic Council Kevin Haslett. The meetings were said to be 'cordial' and, given the people involved, focused on trade including tariffs. The family photo during the Group of Seven (G7) Summit at the Kananaskis Country Golf Course in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 17, 2025. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) But such is the current White House, that nations can have as many meetings as they want with US officials, however it's only Mr Trump that really matters and who makes the decisions. In addition, a meeting with trade officials is fine but it will have meant no discussions were had with the US on AUKUS. Anthony Albanese and Australian ambassador to the US meet with US trade representative Jamieson Greer and the director of the US National Economic Council Kevin Haslett at the G7 in Canada. Picture: Prime Minister's Office. Mr Trump may have scarpered but the G7 went on regardless with Mr Albanese having multiple meetings with world leaders including those from Germany, Japan, the UK, the European Union and France. Mr Albanese also took part in the extended G7 'family photo'. The leaders of the seven core countries – with Mr Trump in tow – did their snap yesterday. On Tuesday, a Trump-less G7 added Narendra Modi of India, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Ukraine's Mr Zelensky and, of course, Mr Albanese to an additional photo. After the picture was taken, the PM was seen warmly embracing Mr Zelensky. They may have both commiserated one another of their missed meetings with Mr Trump. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L) embraces Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as they arrive for a family photo during the Group of Seven (G7) Summit at the Kananaskis Country Golf Course in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 17, 2025. (Photo by Teresa SUAREZ / POOL / AFP) German Chancellor Merz offered to grease the wheels of trade in his meeting with Australia. 'I want to thank you for your support for the free trade agreement we are trying to get done with the European Union. It's very important,' Mr Albanese said to the Chancellor. 'Is there anything what we can do, or I can do to speed it up a little bit?' said Mr Merz, unexpectedly. 'Well, we're very keen,' Mr Albanese said excitedly. The PM also met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba who said Australia 'set an example'. The world was 'becoming more complex,' said Mr Ishiba referring to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. 'Everything is connected in the world. 'And under such circumstances, I think Japan-Australia, co-ordination really continues to set an example of what a like-minded country's co-operation is and going forward together. 'I would like to make sure that a free and open Pacific will be realised.' Originally published as PM Albanese claws back US meeting after Donald Trump's early G7 departure
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Trump goes to ground after National Security Council meeting on Iran-Israel conflict
'He is an easy target, but is safe there – we are not going to take him out … at least not for now,' Trump said on social media, clarifying that this meant killing him. 'But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.' Trump also called for Iran's 'unconditional surrender', in all-caps. The president is under fresh pressure from some hawkish Republicans to help Israel destroy Iran's nuclear infrastructure by unleashing so-called 'bunker buster' bombs on an underground facility at Fordow, which experts say could quickly enrich uranium from 60 per cent to a weapons-grade 90 per cent. Republican senator Lindsey Graham told Fox News he had spoken with Trump and suggested the president 'believes [Iran's] nuclear program cannot be ended through diplomacy'. 'They need our help, Israel does, to take out Fordow,' Graham told Fox. 'I'm hoping the president will provide Israel the help they need to finish the job of the last nuclear site underground. If we accomplish destroying the Iranian nuclear program, it will be historic for the region and historic for the world.' Graham added: 'If we don't take our their nuclear program now, we'll all regret it. We're very close.' But that contrasts starkly with the position of large swaths of Trump's MAGA supporters, who hold staunchly isolationist views on foreign policy and oppose another US mission in the Middle East. Rifts in the MAGA universe have now exploded into public view. Trump mocked MAGA influencer Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News host, for saying Trump was complicit in an act of war and should 'drop Israel'. Carlson was 'kooky' and had a small audience, Trump said. The president also dismissed testimony from his own homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, who told a hearing in March that the intelligence community did not think Iran was building a nuclear weapon. 'I don't care what she said, I think they were very close to having one,' Trump said. Former Trump aide Steve Bannon has also used his influential podcast to make the case against a US strike, saying proponents of intervention were 'running the Iraq war playbook over again'. Vance attempted to broker a kind of truce, saying in a lengthy post on X that the president had shown restraint but may decide stronger action was required. 'I believe the president has earned some trust on this issue,' Vance said. 'I can assure you that he is only interested in using the American military to accomplish the American people's goals.' Several experts said a diplomatic solution was still possible. Daniel Byman, a director at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said it was not known how Iran would respond to its predicament, and de-escalation remained a possibility. 'It is plausible to me that they recognise that they're just overmatched, and that fighting the United States now on top of Israel, with their limited capacity, isn't going to work,' he told a panel discussion hosted by CSIS. 'But it's also quite plausible to me that they'll go to various proxies and say: hit whatever you can.' Loading Mona Yacoubian, the director of the Middle East program at CSIS, told the same event that although many Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah were degraded from Israeli strikes, the Houthis in Yemen and Iran-backed militias in Iraq were still capable of mounting counter-attacks. 'Iran could try some interesting ways to snarl maritime traffic,' she said, though blocking the crucial Strait of Hormuz was a desperate move and 'we're not at that point' yet. Yacoubian said she believed Iran was looking for a path back to the negotiating table, 'but they can't do it unconditionally', and Trump's rhetoric, such as calling for Iran's unconditional surrender, 'is making this increasingly difficult'. 'In the Iranian culture – frankly in any culture – that's going to be very, very difficult,' she said. 'They would look for some sort of ceasefire, and then they'd start to perhaps negotiate on the nuclear questions and demonstrate more flexibility.' Although Trump said he needed to leave the G7 in Canada early to deal with the Middle East crisis, his public schedule for Wednesday (Thursday AEST) showed he was devoting considerable time to other matters. He will swear in the new US ambassador to Monaco, and have lunch with Pakistan's army chief of staff. Trump also posted about two new flag poles he is installing on the White House lawns, to be unveiled on Wednesday, though it was not clear if he would take part in a ceremony. Back at the G7, world leaders were forced to grapple with the crisis without their most important counterpart. They were also unable to issue a joint statement on the war between Russia and Ukraine, reportedly after the US kiboshed 'strong language' supporting Ukraine. Instead, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was hosting the summit, issued a summary which he said was supported by all leaders, including Trump. Loading 'There would be things that some of us, including Canada, would say above and beyond what was said in the chair's summary,' Carney conceded.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Trump goes to ground after National Security Council meeting on Iran-Israel conflict
'He is an easy target, but is safe there – we are not going to take him out … at least not for now,' Trump said on social media, clarifying that this meant killing him. 'But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.' Trump also called for Iran's 'unconditional surrender', in all-caps. The president is under fresh pressure from some hawkish Republicans to help Israel destroy Iran's nuclear infrastructure by unleashing so-called 'bunker buster' bombs on an underground facility at Fordow, which experts say could quickly enrich uranium from 60 per cent to a weapons-grade 90 per cent. Republican senator Lindsey Graham told Fox News he had spoken with Trump and suggested the president 'believes [Iran's] nuclear program cannot be ended through diplomacy'. 'They need our help, Israel does, to take out Fordow,' Graham told Fox. 'I'm hoping the president will provide Israel the help they need to finish the job of the last nuclear site underground. If we accomplish destroying the Iranian nuclear program, it will be historic for the region and historic for the world.' Graham added: 'If we don't take our their nuclear program now, we'll all regret it. We're very close.' But that contrasts starkly with the position of large swaths of Trump's MAGA supporters, who hold staunchly isolationist views on foreign policy and oppose another US mission in the Middle East. Rifts in the MAGA universe have now exploded into public view. Trump mocked MAGA influencer Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News host, for saying Trump was complicit in an act of war and should 'drop Israel'. Carlson was 'kooky' and had a small audience, Trump said. The president also dismissed testimony from his own homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, who told a hearing in March that the intelligence community did not think Iran was building a nuclear weapon. 'I don't care what she said, I think they were very close to having one,' Trump said. Former Trump aide Steve Bannon has also used his influential podcast to make the case against a US strike, saying proponents of intervention were 'running the Iraq war playbook over again'. Vance attempted to broker a kind of truce, saying in a lengthy post on X that the president had shown restraint but may decide stronger action was required. 'I believe the president has earned some trust on this issue,' Vance said. 'I can assure you that he is only interested in using the American military to accomplish the American people's goals.' Several experts said a diplomatic solution was still possible. Daniel Byman, a director at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said it was not known how Iran would respond to its predicament, and de-escalation remained a possibility. 'It is plausible to me that they recognise that they're just overmatched, and that fighting the United States now on top of Israel, with their limited capacity, isn't going to work,' he told a panel discussion hosted by CSIS. 'But it's also quite plausible to me that they'll go to various proxies and say: hit whatever you can.' Loading Mona Yacoubian, the director of the Middle East program at CSIS, told the same event that although many Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah were degraded from Israeli strikes, the Houthis in Yemen and Iran-backed militias in Iraq were still capable of mounting counter-attacks. 'Iran could try some interesting ways to snarl maritime traffic,' she said, though blocking the crucial Strait of Hormuz was a desperate move and 'we're not at that point' yet. Yacoubian said she believed Iran was looking for a path back to the negotiating table, 'but they can't do it unconditionally', and Trump's rhetoric, such as calling for Iran's unconditional surrender, 'is making this increasingly difficult'. 'In the Iranian culture – frankly in any culture – that's going to be very, very difficult,' she said. 'They would look for some sort of ceasefire, and then they'd start to perhaps negotiate on the nuclear questions and demonstrate more flexibility.' Although Trump said he needed to leave the G7 in Canada early to deal with the Middle East crisis, his public schedule for Wednesday (Thursday AEST) showed he was devoting considerable time to other matters. He will swear in the new US ambassador to Monaco, and have lunch with Pakistan's army chief of staff. Trump also posted about two new flag poles he is installing on the White House lawns, to be unveiled on Wednesday, though it was not clear if he would take part in a ceremony. Back at the G7, world leaders were forced to grapple with the crisis without their most important counterpart. They were also unable to issue a joint statement on the war between Russia and Ukraine, reportedly after the US kiboshed 'strong language' supporting Ukraine. Instead, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was hosting the summit, issued a summary which he said was supported by all leaders, including Trump. Loading 'There would be things that some of us, including Canada, would say above and beyond what was said in the chair's summary,' Carney conceded.
