Canada is rolling out the red carpet for some of the world’s biggest powers and their allies amid a perilous escalation in the Middle East and President Trump’s reshaping of global alliances.
The annual meeting of the Group of 7 nations — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — is an important forum where the United States and many of its traditional partners have in the past met to find common ground on critical issues. It begins on Sunday in Kananaskis, a stunning resort in the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Alberta, and will run until late Tuesday.
While the agenda includes wildfires, the global economy and Ukraine, most leaders will attend with one goal in mind: to meet Mr. Trump and, if they do, to avoid any unpleasantries.
Some past summits have offered little more than polite handshakes and a cheerful group photo. Others have seen unscripted high drama.
The 2018 gathering, also held in Canada, was memorable for the spectacular fallout between Mr. Trump and Justin Trudeau, who was then Canadian prime minister. It also produced an iconic photo of the German chancellor at the time, Angela Merkel, leaning over Mr. Trump as they disagreed over allowing Russia to attend the group’s meetings. The image captured the world leaders’ concern over Mr. Trump.
Who’s going?
The G7 summit is attended by leaders from the seven member countries and the European Union, but leaders of other important global allies are also invited. This year attendance will be unusually high. Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada, who this year holds the G7 presidency, has invited the leaders of several nonmember countries: India, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Ukraine, Australia and South Korea, and the head of NATO.
What are the issues?
The G7 leaders will focus on the global economy on Monday. They are also set to discuss problems like wildfires, which are currently raging near Alberta, as well as drug and migrant smuggling.
On Tuesday morning they’re scheduled to add Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Rutte to their group to discuss the war in Ukraine, and later on Tuesday they will expand their group to invite the other leaders.
Both the global economy and Ukraine will be difficult topics this year. Mr. Trump’s tariffs on all the countries who will be represented in Canada is threatening to tip the world close to a recession, while the United States has said it wants Europe to pick up much more of the responsibility for providing military support to Ukraine.
Consequential talks are likely to happen in smaller or bilateral meetings. Mr. Trump is likely to meet with Mr. Carney and Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico to talk about the future of the United States-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement. That pact is in tatters after Mr. Trump imposed tariffs on imports from America’s two top trading partners, undoing decades of North American trade integration.
What decisions will be made?
G7 summits have seen substantive action, too. For the past two years, they were the forum in which leaders agreed to joint sanctions against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
But Mr. Trump’s approach toward global trade and foreign policy, and America’s shift away from the global order it created over the past few decades, means that the leaders do not expect to be able to agree on much.
Canadian officials said they were scrapping hopes to issue a joint communiqué — the traditional statement leaders put out at the end of such meetings.
Still, bilateral meetings between Mr. Trump and other leaders, or among other nations, could yield smaller announcements or decisions.
It will be important to watch whether leaders can make a coordinated statement about the war in the Middle East or in Ukraine. If not, it will be a stark reminder of just how far apart America is moving from its traditional allies on the most important issues of the day.
Mr. Trump’s presence means that there’s always an element of drama and surprise. Canadians have sharply turned against him since he began threatening Canada’s sovereignty and saying he wants to make the country the 51st state.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have said they expect protests in Calgary, a major city, and in Banff, a smaller resort town, both of which are near Kananaskis.
Matina Stevis-Gridneff is the Canada bureau chief for The Times, leading coverage of the country.
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