The G7 summit in Canada will continue on Tuesday without US President Donald Trump. Trump surprisingly announced his early return to Washington on Monday evening. His spokeswoman cited "events in the Middle East" as the reason. Trump made it clear that he did not want his departure to be seen as an affront to the G7. "I would have loved to stay," he said in Kananaskis. However, there were "big things" that required his immediate return to Washington, he said, without elaborating.
Shortly before announcing his departure, Trump called on residents of the Iranian capital, Tehran, to evacuate. "Everyone should leave Tehran immediately," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, without giving a reason. Iran's capital has more than ten million inhabitants. Following Trump's remarks, a White House spokesperson emphasized that US forces in the Middle East remained "in a defensive posture." "Nothing has changed," the spokesperson stated.
Iran and Israel are currently engaged in the most serious military conflict in their history. Since Friday, Israel has been launching massive military attacks on targets in Iran, and in response, Iran is attacking Israel with drones and missiles. The United States has not yet intervened militarily in this conflict. Trump didn't specify the exact reasons for his departure. However, other participants at the G7 summit expressed understanding. The summit's host, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, said: "I fully understand that he has to fly home."
The announcement of Trump's departure surprised the other summit participants. German government sources had previously reported that Trump had been cooperative at the summit, that the atmosphere in the first working session on Monday morning (local time) had been "extremely harmonious", and that Trump had promised the G7 partners that he would stay until the end of the summit and complete the planned summit program.
With Trump's early departure, the meeting scheduled for Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is traveling to the summit in Kananaskis as a guest, will not take place. Zelensky had announced that he would appeal to Trump for continued support for his country in the defensive war against Russia. Among other things, he wanted to propose to the US president that Ukraine purchase weapons from the US.
On Monday, the differences between the US and the other G7 countries became clear on the issue of new sanctions against Russia. Trump expressed skepticism about the tightening measures desired by the Europeans: "Sanctions cost us a lot of money," the president said. EU states are planning new sanctions to increase pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The EU hopes that the US will impose new sanctions to increase their effectiveness.
Trump made it clear in Kananaskis that he wanted to wait for the EU's actions first. "Let's let them lead the way," he said, referring to the Europeans. The issue of US sanctions against Russia was also discussed at the bilateral meeting between the US President and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) in Kananaskis. However, German government sources said Trump made no such commitments.
According to the Canadian hosts, the G7 summit is scheduled to continue on Tuesday despite Trump's departure. The war in Ukraine will play a key role, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is also scheduled to attend the summit as a guest. Other guests include heads of state and government from India, Brazil, Mexico, and Australia, with whom the G7 leaders plan to discuss, among other things, energy security.
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