US President Donald Trump yesterday avoided personal attacks on US allies at the G-7 summit in Canada, as he has done at many international forums so far, but his remarks during its opening failed to mask the deep division between his vision of the world and that of the other world leaders gathered in the Canadian Rockies, the "Washington Post" reported this morning.
In 2014, the former leaders made a "big mistake" by "kicking" Russian President Vladimir Putin out of the then Group of Eight (G-8), Trump said. The war in Ukraine would never have started if Russia had not been indefinitely excluded after the invasion and annexation of the Crimean peninsula, he added.
Trump blamed his predecessor Barack Obama and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the decision, despite Trudeau only taking office the following year, the publication noted. The US president stressed that he was not sure whether Putin would be allowed to return to form, "because too much water has flowed since then".
Trump added that "it would be "not a bad idea" to invite Chinese President Xi Jinping to future G-7 meetings.
The US president abruptly cut short his participation in the G-7 summit a day early because of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, the newspaper noted. "New York Times".
However, he did not agree to join the other leaders' joint statement calling for de-escalation between Iran and Israel - further evidence of the rift between Trump and other leaders.
A few hours earlier, Trump had made it clear that he was feeling some pressure to be more involved in the Middle East crisis.
"They want us to make a deal, and as soon as I leave here, we'll do something," he said.
Asked if he would travel to the Middle East if he felt he could broker an agreement, Trump said he believed the talks were going well. "We're talking," the US president said. "We have something called a phone, so we're talking. But it's always better to talk face to face," he added.
The G7 leaders on Monday issued a joint statement insisting that Iran should not acquire nuclear weapons and reaffirmed Israel's right to defend itself, Politico reported.
"Iran is the primary source of regional instability and terror. We have always been clear that Iran should never have a nuclear weapon," said the statement, issued on behalf of the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan, as well as the European Union.
The declaration was issued shortly after the US president left the Kananaskis summit, the publication notes.
The British newspaper "Guardian" quoted French President Emmanuel Macron as saying Trump left the G7 meeting early because he was considering options for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
"There is actually a proposal for a meeting. A specific proposal for a ceasefire was made and then broader discussions will begin", Macron said. "Now we will see if the (warring) parties follow it", he added.
The French president described the move as a positive development. "At the moment, I believe that negotiations must be resumed and civilians must be protected", he noted.
Macron added that he did not believe the situation would change in the coming hours, but "once the US has assured that they will find (a way) for a ceasefire and once they can put pressure on Israel, things could change".
Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post highlighted the US president's call for Iranian citizens to "immediately evacuate Tehran", which he posted on his social media account, Truth Social, just before he left Canada.
At the time the announcement was made, multiple explosions were heard in Ahvaz, southwestern Iran, the publication noted, adding that according to the Iranian news outlet Asriran, air defense systems were also activated in the city of Natanz, where the Iranian regime's main nuclear facility is located.
On the other hand, Iran fired only ten missiles at Israel in three separate attacks last night, the Times of Israel reported.