G7 Summit Delayed Amid Absence of President Trump

Introduces the G7 summit, noting it was moved from Sunday due to President Trump's birthday festivities in Washington DC, and asks Oliver to set the agenda.

David

Oliver Crook

The main topic of the G7 summit is the war in Iran and whether a deal will be reached. Qatar and UAE will have prominent roles in post-deal architecture. The summit was delayed by Trump's birthday/UFC event, reflecting European relationship dynamics with Trump.

Trump's last Europe trip in January was about Greenland; there's a question about what narrative Trump will bring this time, especially if he feels disappointed by European allies not participating militarily in the Gulf.

Asks how European leaders navigate relationships with Trump, given recent pushback from leaders like Mark Carney and Friedrich Merz, and whether they need anything from Trump at this meeting.

David

Oliver Crook

European leaders still need quite a bit from Trump. The EU has not ratified the trade deal (July 4 deadline from Trump). The US has checked out of Ukraine war and rerouted military hardware from Europe to the Middle East. Macron's personal relationship with Trump (Versailles dinner) may be the most productive channel.

Merz broke ranks publicly criticizing Trump, but other leaders have been quieter. Georgia Maloney pushed back on Trump's criticism of the Pope. European nations resisted US use of their military bases for Iran operations. Macron understands Trump better than other leaders and secured a one-on-one dinner at Versailles.

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