KANANASKIS, Alberta (AP) \u2014 Six of the Group of Seven leaders are trying on the final day of their Tuesday to show the wealthy nations\u2019 club still has the clout to shape world events despite the early departure of President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Mark Carney and his counterparts from the U.K., France, Germany, Italy and Japan will be joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO chief Mark Rutte to discuss Russia\u2019s relentless war on its neighbor.<\/p>\n
World leaders had gathered in Canada with the specific goal of helping to defuse a series of pressure points, only to be disrupted by a showdown over Iran\u2019s nuclear program that could escalate in dangerous and uncontrollable ways. Israel launched an aerial bombardment campaign against Iran on Friday, and Iran has hit back with missiles and drones.<\/p>\n
Trump left the summit in the Canadian Rocky Mountain resort of Kananaskis a day early late Monday, saying: \u201cI have to be back, very important.\u201d It came as conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies and the U.S. leader declared that Tehran should be evacuated \u201cimmediately\u201d \u2014 while also expressing optimism about a deal to stop the violence.<\/p>\n
Before leaving, Trump joined the other leaders in issuing a statement saying Iran \u201ccan never have a nuclear weapon\u201d and calling for a \u201cde-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.\u201d Getting unanimity \u2014 even on a short and broadly worded statement \u2014 was a modest measure of success for the group.<\/p>\n
At the summit, Trump warned that Tehran needs to curb its nuclear program before it\u2019s \u201ctoo late.\u201d He said Iranian leaders would \u201clike to talk\u201d but they had already had 60 days to reach an agreement on their nuclear ambitions and failed to do so before the Israeli aerial assault began. \u201cThey have to make a deal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Asked what it would take for the U.S. to get involved in the conflict militarily, Trump said Monday morning, \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about that.\u201c<\/p>\n
But by Monday afternoon, Trump warned ominously on social media, \u201cEveryone should immediately evacuate Tehran!\u201d Shortly after that, Trump decided to leave the summit and skip a series of Tuesday meetings that would address the war in Ukraine and trade issues.<\/p>\n
The sudden departure only heightened the drama of a world that seems on verge of several firestorms. Trump already has imposed severe tariffs on multiple nations that risk a global economic slowdown. There has been little progress on settling the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. <\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s stance on Ukraine puts him fundamentally at odds with the other G7 leaders, who back Ukraine and are clear that Russia is the aggressor in the war.<\/p>\n
The U.S. president on Monday suggested there would have been no war if G7 members hadn\u2019t expelled Putin from the organization in 2014 for annexing Crimea.<\/p>\n
Trump on Monday demurred when asked if he supported Russia, saying \u201cI only care about saving lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
With talks on ending the war at an impasse, Starmer said Britain and other G7 members were slapping new tariffs on Russia in a bid to get it to the ceasefire negotiating table. Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to attend the summit Tuesday at Carney\u2019s invitation, along with other leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NATO chief Mark Rutte.<\/p>\n
Trump declined to join in the sanctions on Russia, saying he would wait until Europe did so first.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I sanction a country that costs the U.S. a lot of money, a tremendous amount of money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Trump had been scheduled before his departure to meet with Zelenskyy and with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.<\/p>\n
On the Middle East, Merz told reporters that Germany was planning to draw up a final communique proposal on the Israel-Iran conflict that will stress that \u201cIran must under no circumstances be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons-capable material.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump also seemed to put a greater priority on addressing his grievances with other nations\u2019 trade policies than on collaboration with G7 allies. The U.S. president has imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as 25% tariffs on autos. Trump is also charging a 10% tax on imports from most countries, though he could raise rates on July 9, after the 90-day negotiating period set by him would expire.<\/p>\n
He announced with Starmer that they had signed a trade framework Monday that was previously announced in May, with Trump saying that British trade was \u201cvery well protected\u2019 because \u201dI like them, that\u2019s why. That\u2019s their ultimate protection.\u201d<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Associated Press writers Will Weissert in Banff, Alberta, and Josh Boak in Calgary, Alberta, contributed to this story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KANANASKIS, Alberta (AP) \u2014 Six of the Group of Seven leaders are trying on the final day of their Tuesday to show the wealthy nations\u2019 club still has the clout<\/p>\n