Global leaders at the G7 summit in Canada have collectively urged US President Donald Trump to ease his aggressive trade policies, warning that the ongoing tariff battles risk destabilizing the global economy.
Despite careful efforts by host Canada to avoid provoking the US president, the summit witnessed intense behind-the-scenes diplomacy aimed at convincing Trump to halt plans for new, harsher tariffs expected to take effect next month.
Most G7 nations are already contending with a baseline 10% US tariff, compounded by additional levies on key sectors like automobiles, steel, and aluminum—particularly affecting European countries and Japan. In private meetings, leaders made a united appeal for Trump to negotiate fair agreements that would prevent further economic fallout.
A senior German official, speaking anonymously, revealed that several G7 members stressed the urgent need to end the tariff dispute, cautioning that the trade war ultimately benefits China by weakening the world’s largest economies.
In a lighter moment amid serious talks, Trump signed a trade deal with Britain—the first country to escape the threat of US tariffs—only to awkwardly drop the signed papers, prompting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to jump to his aid.
Canada, directly targeted by recent US tariffs, faces significant economic uncertainty. But after discussions between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, officials expressed optimism that a trade truce could be reached within a month.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reported a candid 30-minute conversation with Trump, focusing on resolving differences in a way that protects Japan’s interests, though no final deal was struck.
Trump’s early departure from the summit, to address escalating tensions in Iran, dashed hopes for talks with leaders from South Korea, India, Brazil, and South Africa—who arrived after his exit.
Globally, numerous countries remain in urgent negotiations with Washington ahead of a July 9 deadline for retaliatory tariffs. Mexico also seeks to revisit the North American trade agreement with the US and Canada.
European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, pressed Trump to resolve the dispute quickly.
Von der Leyen, who met Trump privately, emphasized that tariffs are ultimately taxes borne by consumers and businesses at home. “We have instructed our teams to accelerate efforts to reach a fair and balanced deal,” she said on social media.
