Kananaskis, Alberta, June 17: U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Canada on Sunday to attend the G7 Leaders’ Summit, returning to the global stage amid an escalating conflict between Iran and Israel that is expected to overshadow the three-day gathering of world powers.
Air Force One landed in Calgary on Sunday evening, marking Trump’s first visit to Canada in seven years. The summit, set in the mountain resort town of Kananaskis, Alberta, begins Monday and will also feature Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is arriving after visits to Croatia and Cyprus.
Trump’s return to the G7 comes as Israel and Iran exchange deadly missile strikes, a conflict that has already claimed hundreds of lives and is expected to dominate closed-door discussions among leaders of the world’s most advanced economies.
On Monday morning, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to meet with Trump in a bilateral meeting viewed as an opportunity to reset relations after a turbulent period marked by U.S. tariffs and Trump’s repeated comments about annexing Canada.
The summit is expected to center on diplomatic efforts to contain the Middle East conflict and on persuading Trump to reconsider his hardline trade policies. Leaders of the Group of Seven — which includes France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, and the United States, along with the European Union — are also grappling with growing internal divisions on climate change, artificial intelligence, and gender equity.
A senior Canadian official confirmed there would be no joint communique issued at the end of the summit due to irreconcilable differences among members. Instead, leaders will release separate statements on around half a dozen priority areas. A joint declaration on Ukraine is notably absent from the agenda.
Foreign policy discussions are set for Tuesday, with at least 10 invited leaders from non-G7 nations and international organizations participating. India’s Prime Minister Modi is among those expected to attend.
In contrast to previous G7 summits where Trump clashed openly with his counterparts, this year’s meeting is expected to be more subdued. Most current G7 leaders — including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Canadian host Mark Carney — have had uncontroversial or cordial meetings with Trump since his return to office.
However, French President Emmanuel Macron may prove to be an exception. Though Macron met warmly with Trump earlier this year, he recently visited Greenland — an autonomous Danish territory that Trump has expressed interest in acquiring — and reaffirmed its sovereignty. The move is likely to frustrate Trump ahead of the summit.
Still, observers say the new dynamic favors Trump, with several G7 leaders inclined to avoid public disputes and focus instead on maintaining functional ties with the U.S., their most powerful partner.
“This is not the combative G7 of previous years,” said one senior European diplomat. “Everyone knows Trump has returned with more leverage, and they’re planning to work around it.” The summit begins Monday with a working lunch and a leaders’ family photo, followed by closed-door sessions focused on trade and security. The conflict in West Asia is expected to dominate both formal and informal conversations throughout.
