Trump talks Iran, Russia, trade, at G7

President Donald Trump met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday as bilateral meetings at the Group of Seven economic summit began. The United States is mostly focused on discussing trade with Canada, Trump said while appearing beside Carney. The president said he expected the two nations would accomplish a lot together, and described having a good relationship with Canada. The G7 is nothing without U.S. leadership, Carney said. Canadian leaders are grateful for Trump to be here and look forward to meeting together, he added. America and Canada have different concepts, and we’d like to work through these opposing concepts today, Trump said.

Late Monday night, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Trump would depart the Group of Seven summit early. She said he would leave Monday night after dinner, and cited ongoing Middle East tension as the reason.

Earlier in the day, the president made a number of noteworthy comments while addressing the media with Carney. Former President Obama and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a mistake in 2014 by kicking Russia out of what was then the G8, Trump said. So much discussion revolves around Russia, but Moscow isn’t even allowed at the table, the president said. The war in Ukraine would never have happened if Moscow had been allowed to stay in the G8, he added. Trump also hinted at the possibility of having China join the G7, describing the prospect as not a bad idea.

Iran wanted to hold negotiations to de-escalate tensions with Israel, Trump said. The president also avoided questions about U.S. military involvement in the Middle East amid ongoing missile strikes between Israel and Iran. Israel is doing very well right now, and they have always had American support, he said. Later Monday evening, Trump issued an additional statement about Iran on Truth Social reiterating previous statements that the Islamic republic cannot have a nuclear weapon and urging everyone to evacuate the capital city of Tehran immediately.

What else is happening at the summit?

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy planned to discuss a defense package with Trump that Ukraine would like to buy. No one wants to imagine how to live and fight without help from the United States, he said Monday. Zelenskyy also planned to discuss sanctions and frozen Russian assets with other G7 leaders.

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressed the Israel-Iran tensions on Sunday after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Europe is committed to peace and stability in the Middle East, but Israel has the right to defend itself, she said. She identified Iran as the chief source of regional instability, insisting that it can never have nuclear weapons.

• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer highlighted military conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine as the biggest discussion points for the summit.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are also in attendance. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also received an invitation to the summit. Despite not holding membership in the economic bloc, G7 leaders have invited India to consistently attend since 2019. World leaders began flocking to Kananaskis, Alberta, over the weekend for the 50th anniversary summit, which formally kicked off on Sunday.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Russell’s report for the latest on Iran-Israel tensions.