Amid Tensions with Allies, White House Confirms Trump Will Attend G7 Summit

(Washington, May 19, Comprehensive Foreign Report via CNA) A White House official told AFP today that despite tensions between Washington and its allies over issues like Iran and tariffs, U.S. President Trump will travel to France for next month's Group of Seven (G7) summit. According to AFP and Reuters, Trump had not previously confirmed his attendance at the G7 meeting, scheduled for June 15-17 in the French Alpine lakeside resort of Evian. The White House had said in January that France changed the dates to accommodate Trump's schedule. Trump is set to host a cage fighting match at the White House on June 14, his 80th birthday. According to the news website Axios, the U.S. president hopes to discuss topics including artificial intelligence (AI), trade, and crime fighting at the leaders' summit. However, the summit takes place against a backdrop of friction between the U.S. and other G7 members, particularly over the war Trump launched against Iran in February. Trump has fiercely criticized U.S. allies for failing to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that has been substantially blocked by Iran, causing a spike in global oil prices. In response, Western allies, including the G7, have expressed concerns about the impact of the U.S.-Iran war on their own economies, especially as they are already under pressure from tariffs imposed by Trump. It has not yet been confirmed whether Trump will attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Turkey in early July. (Compiler: Lee Pei-shan)