Donald Trump leaves G7 early currently underway in Kananaskis, in the western province of Alberta, Canada, to return to the United States where, according to US media, the National Security Council is waiting for him, meeting in the Situation Room of the White House.
But before leaving, the US president has signed the joint declaration which calls for de-escalation in the Middle East and which the US had initially refused to support. Not only that, with a post on Truth, the social network he owns, the president stated: “Everyone should Evacuate Tehran immediately".
Trump Attacks Macron: “Fake News About My Return to Washington”
It is not known, at least officially, why Trump left Canada early, deciding not to participate in the second day of work of the G7, also skipping the bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, expected in the next few hours in Kananaskis. The US president limited himself to saying that he has to "deal with very important issues". The tycoon ordered his national security staff to meet in the Situation Room. In parallel, he told the members of his team to try a meeting with Tehran officials as soon as possible to understand if Iran really wants a diplomatic solution. The news, however, seems to have been partially denied.
“French President Emmanuel Macron, for publicity, falsely claimed that I left the G7 summit in Canada to return to Washington to work on a ‘ceasefire’ between Israel and Iran. False!” wrote US President Donald Trump on his social network Truth. Macron “has no idea why I am now traveling to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a ceasefire. It is much bigger than that. Whether he likes it or not, Emmanuel never understands that,” he added.
Trump: “Kicking Russia Out of the G8 Was a Mistake”
After having endorsed the day before a mediating role for Vladimir Putin in the conflict between Israel and Iran, Trump once again shocked leaders gathered in Kananaskis, stating that “throw out” Russia from what was once the G8 “it was a mistake”. Whose fault? Barack Obama and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The US president added that this does not mean that Russia can be readmitted today because it is perhaps too late: “But it was a big mistake. There wouldn't have been that war, you know you have your enemy at the table and he wasn't even really an enemy at the time… Putin is talking to me and nobody else, because he was deeply insulted when he was kicked out of the G8. I, you, anybody else would have been insulted. He was not happy about it and I agree with him.” To another question, Trump then replied that Including China in the G7 “wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
Trump signs G7 joint statement
After the initial refusal and before leaving, the US President signed the joint statement in which the G7 leaders reaffirm their "commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East" and affirm in this context that “Israel has the right to defend itself,” confirming their “support for Israel's security” but also affirming “the importance of protecting civilians”. In the text, they accuse Tehran of being “the main source of instability and terror in the region” and that “must never obtain a nuclear weapon”.
“We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis lead to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza”, the G7 leaders wrote. “We will remain vigilant about the implications for international energy markets and ready to coordinate, including with like-minded partners, to safeguard market stability”.
Duties: Trump signs agreement with UK. EU aims for 10% tariffs
On the sidelines of the G7, Trump announced that he had signed a document finalizing the trade agreement with the United Kingdom. This is the first agreement since the start of the trade war he unleashed in April. According to the German economic daily Handelsblatt, theEuropean Union instead, aim for a fixed duty of 10% on all exports from the European Union to the United States in hopes of avoiding higher tariffs on cars, drugs and electronics.
Brussels' offer would be ready to present only under certain conditions and would not be permanent. In exchange, the EU would be ready to reduce duties on vehicles products in the United States and to possibly modify the technical or legal obstacles to facilitate the sale of American cars in Europe. The EU has also offered to completely ban the purchase of Russian natural gas, potentially creating greater demand for U.S. producers of LNG.
In the event of failure, the European institutions would instead be ready to present the "bazooka"of trade countermeasures up to 120 billion euros. A hypothesis also confirmed by the President of the European Commission who, from the G7 currently underway in Canada, reiterated her commitment to finding a solution by 9th July, warning however that, if the result is not satisfactory, "we will be able to respond: all means are on the table".
