By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Group of Seven leaders, often referred to as the G-7, has opened its meeting in Canada, with issues such as the Israel-Iran conflict and U.S. tariffs high on the agenda.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his priorities are strengthening peace and security, building critical mineral supply chains, and creating jobs.
However, trade tariffs imposed by Trump’s administration on countries around the world, and the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, are expected to receive more attention during the summit.
Israel and Iran launched new attacks on each other at the weekend, raising the death toll in the conflict that began with an Israeli offensive on Friday.
A G-7 official said the leaders plan to issue a joint statement calling for de-escalation in the conflict.
Highlighting his top priority for the meeting, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters his goals include Iran not obtaining nuclear weapons, ensuring Israel’s right to defend itself, avoiding escalation of the conflict, and creating room for diplomacy.
“This issue will be very high on the agenda of the G7 summit,” Merz said.
Iran has maintained that its nuclear programme is peaceful, and U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency have said Iran was not pursuing a nuclear weapon.
The last time Canada hosted the summit in 2018, Trump, as the President, left before denouncing then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “very dishonest and weak”.
He further instructed the U.S. delegation, who stayed behind, to withdraw its approval of the final statement endorsed by the leaders of Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and Canada.
“I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communiqué as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!” Trump posted on X, which at the time was still known as Twitter.
This time, Trump’s import tariffs on many nations risk a global economic slowdown, and the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and now between Israel and Iran do not see an end in sight.
Other issues impacting world leaders include immigration, drug trafficking, and new technologies such as artificial intelligence.
A senior U.S. official said on Friday that working discussions would cover trade and the global economy, critical minerals, migrant and drug smuggling, wildfires, international security, artificial intelligence, and energy security.
“The president is eager to pursue his goals in all of these areas, including making America’s trade relationships fair and reciprocal,” the official said.
Trump will have at least three scheduled bilateral meetings during the summit with other world leaders, including Carney, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
