Donald Trump trades easy banter with G7 allies but differences persist
La Malbaie (Canada): President Donald Trump charged into the Group of Seven summit at odds with key allies over US tariffs, then set out to defuse tension with friendly banter and offered vague claims of progress in trade talks.
But details were scant and clear differences remained at the summit's midpoint.
After days of verbal sparring over new US tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, Trump joined the leaders of major industrialised nations in an idyllic Canadian resort town on Friday.
On his way to the annual gathering, Trump laid out his fundamental grievance, saying that other countries "have been taking advantage of the United States on trade."
He injected additional controversy by suggesting that the G-7 offer a seat at the table to Russia, which was ousted from the group after it annexed Crimea.
On Saturday, Trump was set to attend a breakfast focused on gender equality and a ceremonial scroll signing, before leaving the meeting several hours early, heading to Singapore for his summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, missing sessions on climate change, clean energy and ocean protection.
Trump's recent moves, building on 18 months of nationalist policy-making, leave him out of step with the globally-minded organization and have prompted speculation that the group could fracture into something more like the "G-6 plus one."
But in meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump stressed his friendships with the allies while continuing to insist he wanted to see changes on trade.
Trump bantered easily with Trudeau, joking that the neighboring leader had "agreed to cut all tariffs and all trade barriers." And he emphasised a "good relationship" with Macron, saying they sometimes have a "little test" on trade, but predicting a positive outcome.
Still, the fundamental differences remained clear. Trump again railed against trade deficits with other countries and repeated that he may pursue separate trade deals with Canada and Mexico to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, while Canada would prefer to renegotiate the three-way deal.
Asked if Trudeau was upset that Trump would be leaving the summit in Canada early on Saturday, Trump
joked,
"He's happy." Macron said he and Trump held "open and direct" discussions, adding that he thought there was a way to get a "win-win" outcome on trade, though details remained unclear.
Both sides suggested some progress in NAFTA talks. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said they were "close to a deal," but added that there was also discussion of shifting to a bilateral deal.
A Canadian official said the leaders discussed accelerating the pace of the talks.
Trump spent on Friday participating in the rituals of the G-7, including the formal greeting by host Trudeau, a group photo in front of the sparkling St. Lawrence River and a working lunch of Arctic char and buckwheat salad.
Other members of the Group of Seven are Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Germany and Britain. The European Union also attends.
