Trump to Attend G7 Summit in Canada and Discuss Trade

• Trump will discuss trade issues with G7 leaders in Canada.
• Protests are expected, but access to the summit venue will be restricted.
• Meetings with other world leaders may be risky due to Trump's unpredictability.

This is reported by Associated Press, Asharq Al-Awsat.

On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump will arrive at the Group of Seven summit in Canada, a country he has proposed annexing, amid a trade war with America's longtime allies.

Trump's demands to make Canada the 51st state of the U.S. have outraged Canadians, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, who vowed to stand up to the U.S. president's aggression upon taking office. Carney stated that Washington no longer plays a dominant role on the world stage, imposing tariffs for access to its markets and reducing contributions to collective security.

This year, Carney has decided to forgo the traditional practice of issuing a joint statement at the end of the summit, which French President Emmanuel Macron utilized at the G7 summit in France in 2019.

The leaders of the world's wealthiest countries will begin arriving on Sunday at the resort town of Canmore in Alberta in the Canadian Rockies.

Who Will Attend

The Group of Seven consists of Canada, the U.S., France, Italy, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The European Union is also participating, along with other heads of state invited by Carney.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also attend and is expected to meet with Trump. This will be a follow-up meeting after their tense encounter in the Oval Office, which highlighted the risks of meeting with the U.S. president.

Other world leaders will meet with Trump both in group settings and in bilateral talks, which are often risky as foreign leaders must balance between appeasing and confronting him.

"Anything can happen. Canadians should be prepared for surprises. We cannot know what will occur. This is Trump's style. He likes to keep everyone in the dark," noted Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will also participate and hopes to have her first in-person meeting with Trump. On the way to Canada, Macron will visit Greenland, a Danish territory that Trump also proposed to annex.

Expected Tariffs

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra stated that Carney is engaged in direct negotiations with Trump regarding a trade deal. Meanwhile, senior Canadian ministers have also been in Washington for talks.

Trade tensions are likely to be inevitable. The United States has trade deficits with all G7 countries except the United Kingdom. Trump has imposed 10 percent import tariffs on nearly all countries worldwide, attempting to balance what he describes as America's unbalanced trade relations.

Trump's trade wars are already threatening the global economy. The World Bank recently sharply downgraded its forecast for global economic growth this year due to "significant increases in trade barriers."

Why Such a Remote Area

Law enforcement agencies responsible for security are expecting large protests but claim that demonstrators will not be able to approach Canmore, as roads to the summit will be closed to the public. Designated protest zones will be established in Calgary and Banff, which will be broadcasted to the G7 leaders.

Canmore also hosted the G8 summit in 2002.

Теги: Політика/Економіка