QUEBEC CITY — President Trump flew to Canada Friday for the G-7 meeting — the first of two high-profile summits on his agenda. A group photo masked the underlying tension, after Mr. Trump lashed out at allies over trade, while calling for Russia to be reinstated in the group.
A quick prompt from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau produced an all-smiles photo of the G-7 leaders on Friday. Earlier, he welcomed President Trump to the summit with a warm handshake.
But just hours before at the White House, Mr. Trump was not so friendly.
“We are not going to live with the deals the way they are,” he said. “European Union treats us very unfairly. Canada, very unfairly.”
Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. President Donald Trump, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and France’s President Emmanuel Macron stand together for a family photo with the other leaders of the G-7 summit in the Charlevoix city of La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, June 8, 2018.
LEAH MILLIS / REUTERS
American allies are fuming over new tariffs on steel and aluminum imported into the U.S., and over the president saying those tariffs will strengthen national security. Trudeau has called the claim “insulting” and “laughable.”
On Friday, he and Mr. Trump had a one-on-one meeting. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted video of an intimate conversation he had with President Trump, writing “engaging, keeping the dialogue alive, now and ever.”
Macron has made clear if talks don’t lead to compromise, the other six leaders would be willing to sign a joint communique by the end of the summit without the U.S. But the president’s focus may be divided.
Friday morning, he suggested Russia should be allowed back into the group. Vladimir Putin was kicked out in 2014 for annexing Crimea.
“They should let Russia come back in, because we should have Russia at the negotiating table,” Mr. Trump said.
The president said he is still prepping for his summit with Kim Jong Un, even during his trip to Canada. President Trump arrived to the summit late, and he’s taking off early, traveling Saturday morning to Singapore. That means he will miss key discussions on climate change.
The White House says the change in schedule is strictly logistical, so the president can have meetings before he sits down with Kim Jong Un.
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