President Donald Trump’s hasty exit from the Group of Seven conference in Canada deepened questions about his promise to bring peace to an increasingly violent world and added fresh evidence of his skepticism toward the institutions that have long underpinned US diplomacy.
The president said he was departing the meeting of some of the world’s most powerful leaders in the Canadian Rockies because of the unfolding tensions in the Middle East, where Israel is bombarding Iran’s nuclear and military sites. That fanned speculation the US may be preparing to join Israel in its attacks.
In past crises, the Group of Seven was the very forum where US presidents corralled support for a coordinated response. That was the case when Russia invaded Ukraine and the G-7 was the venue through which allies organized support for Kyiv.
Trump has often said if he’d been president, the war on Ukraine never would have happened and Hamas would not have attacked Israel. He backed out of the Obama-era nuclear accord with Iran and framed a new agreement as a simple task.
Five months into his presidency, however, Trump’s self-confidence has repeatedly collided with the reality of a complex and difficult world.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict remains unresolved and the two countries’ leaders won’t even get to the negotiating table as Trump wants. And on Monday, he frustrated fellow allies by dismissing pressure to impose tougher sanctions on Russia.
Earlier: Trump Set to Depart G-7 Early as Israel-Iran Tension Spikes
Trump has also struggled to contain Israel’s military and Iran’s nuclear ambitions. After publicly calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid an attack that could scuttle nuclear talks with Iran, Trump has sought to align himself behind a campaign he had advised against.
By Monday, American officials were offering different messages, with Trump warning Iranians to evacuate Tehran while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the president still believed a nuclear accord could be struck.
“Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign,” Trump wrote on social media, adding that “everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”
The summit also underscored Trump’s failure to strongarm other nations into trade deals. Rather than new accords with allies like Japan or Canada at the conference, Trump signed documents reiterating his lone agreement with the UK.
Even those papers – which blew out of the folder Trump presented to reporters, scattering on the ground – left unresolved critical questions about how the US would impose metals tariffs.
“Perhaps he feels like he needs to look like events aren’t overtaking the president of the United States,” Justin Logan, the director of defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, said as Trump headed to the summit. “The best evidence we have is that events have overtaken the president of the United States.”
Late Monday, the Group of Seven leaders pushed for a de-escalation in the Middle East but didn’t call for an immediate end to the conflict between Israel and Iran in a statement that also affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself.
It wasn’t the first time Trump had abruptly departed from such a gathering. The last time Canada hosted the G-7 in 2018, Trump backed out of a joint communique after clashing with then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and left early to prepare for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
He did it again in 2019, when he scrapped a press conference at the end of a NATO summit. That came after another dust-up with Trudeau, who had been caught on video joking about Trump.
Trump used those early exits for leverage or to register displeasure. Throughout Monday, the president — who was awake late into the previous night posting on social media — flashed signs of annoyance during the highly scripted meeting.
He swiped at longtime ally Tucker Carlson over criticism of his support for Israel’s campaign and bristled at a reporter’s question about whether he would travel to the Middle East, responding “we have a thing called the telephone.”
The president’s decision to stay for a leaders dinner prompted questions about his decision to depart. White House aides have long maintained Trump can monitor world events from anywhere, whether it be Washington or his golf courses.
Still, the developments in the Middle East are undeniably serious. Israel and Iran’s clash is their most serious escalation yet, threatening to bring more death to the region while also disrupting vital trade and energy flows.
Investor reaction was mixed, with US futures falling 0.4%, gold rising and oil swinging between gains and losses following Trump’s comments about evacuating Tehran.
Monday’s display reinforced longstanding concerns among US partners. Allies are increasingly unsure whether they can trust Trump to stick to his word and are buying time. They engage with the president and resist antagonizing him while also acknowledging that the world has changed.
During a session on the global economic outlook, members tried to impress on Trump that the main challenge now was G-7 members working against each other to China’s benefit, according to a German official who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.
Trump remained mostly quiet. Carney presented a map which divided the world into regions in blue — representing the West — and red — representing China. The point was that the red zones have become much bigger.
In parallel, they are looking to diversify trade relations away from the US, to strengthen security ties among themselves and figuring out how to help Ukraine’s position as US aid wanes.
At a press conference Sunday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Canada and the European Union were looking to sign deeper security and defense partnerships. Carney later sent a social media post echoing that.
Trump’s decision to leave the summit early showed he had a different view. Two delegations said they had learned of it through the media, according to people familiar with the matter. Canada, the summit’s host country, was informed through official channels before the public announcement, another person said.
“Between partners, allies and friends, when some problem comes, what we need is to talk and we are here in this very crucial moment to talk,” von der Leyen said.
With assistance from Arne Delfs, Ellen Milligan, Ania Nussbaum, Brian Platt and Jorge Valero.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.