Donald Trump is set to cancel his meeting with Anthony Albanese scheduled for tomorrow morning (AEST) as he leaves the G7 early to focus on the Israel-Iran conflict.
‘President Trump had a great day at the G7, even signing a major trade deal with the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer,’ White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
‘Much was accomplished, but because of what’s going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight (Tuesday AEST) after dinner with Heads of State.’
Albanese had been due for his first face to face meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the G7 on Wednesday morning AEST, but by that time the US President will have left the summit.
Shortly before Trump’s snub, Albanese had told reporters, ‘I look forward to the meeting, I look forward to it taking place’, when asked if he was worried he might not get a ‘full time slot’ with the US President.
The meeting had been billed as the most important of his three-decade career, with pressure on the prime minister to address a number of sticking points in the US-Australia relationship, including tariffs and the Trump administration’s commitment to the AUKUS security pact.
Albanese also told media on Sunday that he was looking forward to ‘building on the very constructive phone conversations that we’ve had on the three occasions that we’ve had the opportunity to talk’.
Trump’s decision to leave the G7 early came after he called for the Iranian capital Tehran to be evacuated as the conflict with Israel continued to escalate.
Donald Trump is set to cancel his meeting with Anthony Albanese which is scheduled tomorrow morning (AEST)
Albanese was still able to meet with newly-elected South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday AEST
‘Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life,’ Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
‘Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!’
Albanese was still able to meet with newly-elected South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday AEST.
He also had a meeting scheduled with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte.
