Leaders attending the G7 Summit in Canada this week will face discussions around global tariffs and an escalating military situation in the Middle East.
The summit will take place over the next two days in the Canadian Rockies town of Kananaskis. Leaders from 15 nations are expected to attend.
With the recent military action between Iran and Israel taking place and continuing to escalate, peace in the area is expected to be a key topic for attendees.
European leaders are expected to demand a specific strategy from the United States over peace, forming a united front on the issue.
Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites, with Iran retaliating with missiles of their own, most of which are being intercepted by Israel's high tech systems before they can land.
The Ukraine-Russia war will also likely be a hot button topic for all leaders present, as United States President Donald Trump continues to try and facilitate peace talks between the two nations, despite resistance from the Kremlin.
The summit will also serve as the first face-to-face meeting between Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Trump with the two confirmed to meet on Tuesday local time.
Speaking to the press during a tour of Amazon's facilities in Seattle, Albanese said he expected it to be a “constructive engagement” that would build on the three phone conversations that have already taken place between the two.
“I obviously will raise tariffs. We’ll raise, as well, of AUKUS, and we will have a discussion, as two friends should," Albanese said.
“Australia has a free trade agreement with the United States and one of the things that I will state privately, as well as state publicly, is that the United States has enjoyed a very long trade surplus with Australia.”
He also confirmed that he expects an invitation toa security and defence partnership with the European Commission, with head of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen to be in attendance, and that additionally an EU trade deal should not be expected to be finalised over the two day summit.
Host nation Canada also laid out their key points for the Summit in addition to peace talks, calling for countering foreign interference and improving the response to wildfires.
Discussions on energy security and “accelerating the digital transition” are also on the cards, as Prime Minister Mark Carney tackles his first G7 as leader.
Other notable meetings to be expected will include a side-line talk between South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa and Trump, following a tense discussion between the two last month in Washington, where Trump accused Ramaphosa of a white “genocide”.
