G7 leaders gather in Canada on Sunday for a three-day summit, taking place in the shadow of a dangerous military escalation between Israel and Iran that could escalate into a wider regional conflict.
The situation escalated after Israel launched a major attack on Iranian military bases and nuclear facilities on Friday, prompting Iran to retaliate with missile strikes on Israel.
The crisis will top the agenda of the leaders of the world’s leading industrialized democracies meeting at a hotel in the remote village of Kananaskis, Alberta, in western Canada.
The summit officially opens on Monday with its first working session. Bilateral meetings will be held on the sidelines.
In addition to tensions in the Middle East, the leaders will also discuss the war in Ukraine, global trade disputes, migration and securing access to rare earth minerals.
European powers are pushing for tougher sanctions on Moscow, proposing a cut in the price of Russian oil from $60 to $45 a barrel, a move advocated by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be in attendance.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is hosting the meeting, fresh from his election victory, partly due to his resistance to Trump’s threats to make Canada the 51st US state.
The traditional closing statement is not expected this time.
Instead, Canada plans to issue only “selected statements on specific topics,” according to German government sources.
The last time the G7 did not issue a joint statement was in 2018, also at a summit with Trump in Canada, when he withdrew his support via Twitter on the plane.
As before, leaders from outside the G7 have been invited to the meeting. They include heads of state and government from Mexico, India, South Korea, South Africa, Australia and Indonesia.
Photo: illustration
