Leaders of the world’s major economic powers are set to gather in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday for a G7 summit, under the cloud of escalating conflict in the Middle East and ongoing trade tensions driven by U.S. President Donald Trump’s unresolved disputes with both allies and adversaries, News.Az informs via ABC News.

Leaders of some of the world’s biggest economic powers will arrive in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday for a Group of Seven summit overshadowed by a widening war across the Middle East and U.S. President Donald Trump’s unresolved trade war with allies and rivals alike.

Israel’s strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation, which appeared to catch many world leaders unawares, is the latest sign of a more volatile world as Trump seeks to withdraw the U.S. from its role as world policeman.

Speaking on a flight to Canada to attend the summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had discussed efforts to de-escalate the situation with Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as other world leaders.

Britain is sending Royal Air Force jets and other military reinforcements to the Middle East.

“We do have longstanding concerns about the nuclear program Iran has. We do recognize Israel’s right to self-defense, but I’m absolutely clear that this needs to de-escalate. There is a huge risk of escalation for the region and more widely,” Starmer said, adding he expected “intense discussions” would continue at the summit.

As summit host, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has decided to abandon the annual practice of issuing a joint statement, or communique, at the end of the meeting.

With other leaders wanting to talk to Trump in an effort to talk him out of imposing tariffs, the summit risks being a series of bilateral conversations rather than a show of unity.

Trump is the summit wild card. Looming over the meeting are Trump’s inflammatory threats to make Canada the 51st state and take over Greenland. French President Emmanuel Macron is making a highly symbolic stop in Greenland on his way to Canada, meeting the Arctic territory’s leader and Denmark’s prime minister aboard a Danish helicopter carrier.

Macron, who is one of the very few leaders to have known Trump during his first term, was the first European leader to visit the White House after Trump took office, emerging unscathed from the Oval Office encounter.

But despite the two leaders’ sporadic bromance, Macron’s approach to Trump has failed to bear major results, with France caught up in the president’s planned tariffs on the European Union.

Leaders of some of the world’s biggest economic powers will arrive in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday for a Group of Seven summit overshadowed by a widening war across the Middle East and US President Donald Trump’s unresolved trade war with allies and rivals alike.

Israel’s strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation, which appeared to catch many world leaders unawares, is the latest sign of a more volatile world as Trump seeks to withdraw the US from its role as world policeman.

Speaking on a flight to Canada to attend the summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had discussed efforts to de-escalate the situation with Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as other world leaders.

Britain is sending Royal Air Force jets and other military reinforcements to the Middle East.

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“We do have longstanding concerns about the nuclear program Iran has. We do recognise Israel’s right to self-defense, but I’m absolutely clear that this needs to de-escalate. There is a huge risk of escalation for the region and more widely,” Starmer said, adding he expected “intense discussions” would continue at the summit.

Trump is summit’s wild card

As summit host, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has decided to abandon the annual practice of issuing a joint statement, or communique, at the end of the meeting.

With other leaders wanting to talk to Trump in an effort to talk him out of imposing tariffs, the summit risks being a series of bilateral conversations rather than a show of unity.

Trump is the summit wild card. Looming over the meeting are Trump’s inflammatory threats to make Canada the 51st state and take over Greenland. French President Emmanuel Macron is making a highly symbolic stop in Greenland on his way to Canada, meeting the Arctic territory’s leader and Denmark’s prime minister aboard a Danish helicopter carrier.

Macron, who is one of the very few leaders to have known Trump during his first term, was the first European leader to visit the White House after Trump took office, emerging unscathed from the Oval Office encounter.

Also read

But despite the two leaders’ sporadic bromance, Macron’s approach to Trump has failed to bear major results, with France caught up in the president’s planned tariffs on the European Union.

Nor did it bring any US security guarantees for Ukraine despite Macron’s efforts, together with Starmer, to build a coalition of nations that could deploy forces after any ceasefire with Russia, with the hope it would convince the Trump administration to provide backup.

Trump is scheduled to arrive late Sunday in Kananaskis, Alberta. Bilateral meetings between other leaders are possible Sunday, but the summit program does not get underway until Monday.

Peter Boehm, Canada’s sherpa of the 2018 G7 summit in Quebec and veteran of six G7 summits, expects the heads of state to pivot discussion to devote more time to the war.

“Leaders can accommodate a discussion, perhaps even a statement,” Boehm said. “The foreign policy agenda has become much larger with this.”

Leaders who are not part of the G7 but have been invited to the summit by Carney include the heads of state of India, Ukraine, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, Australia, Mexico and the UAE. Avoiding tariffs will continue to be top of mind.

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‘He tends to be a bully‘

“Leaders, and there are some new ones coming, will want to meet Donald Trump,” Boehm said. “Trump doesn’t like the big round table as much he likes the one-on-one.” Bilateral meetings with the American president can be fraught as Trump has used them to try to intimidate the leaders of Ukraine and South Africa.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien told a panel this week that if Trump does act out, leaders should ignore him and remain calm like Carney did in his recent Oval Office meeting.

“He tends to be a bully,” Chrétien said. “If Trump has decided to make a show to be in the news, he will do something crazy. Let him do it and keep talking normally.”

Starmer had a warm Oval Office meeting with the president in February, wooing Trump with an invitation for a state visit from King Charles III. Trump has praised the British prime minister, despite their political differences.

Zelenskyy expected to meet Trump

Last month Britain and the US announced they had struck a trade deal that will slash American tariffs on UK autos, steel and aluminium. It has yet to take effect, however, though British officials say they are not concerned the Trump administration might go back on its word.

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Starmer’s attempts to woo Trump have left him in an awkward position with Canada, the UK’s former colony, close ally and fellow Commonwealth member. Starmer has also drawn criticism — especially from Canadians — for failing to address Trump’s stated desire to make Canada the 51st state.

Asked if he has told Trump to stop the 51st state threats, Starmer told The Associated Press: “I’m not going to get into the precise conversations I’ve had, but let me be absolutely clear: Canada is an independent, sovereign country and a much-valued member of the Commonwealth.” The war in Ukraine will be on the agenda. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to attend the summit and is expected to meet with Trump, a reunion coming just months after their bruising Oval Office encounter which laid bare the risks of having a meeting with the U.S. president.

Starmer met with Carney in Ottawa before the summit for talks focused on security and trade, in the first visit to Canada by a British prime minister for eight years.

German officials were keen to counter the suggestion that the summit would be a “six against one” event, noting that the G7 countries have plenty of differences of emphasis among themselves on various issues.

“The only the problem you cannot forecast is what the president of the United States will do depending on the mood, the need to be in the news,” said Chretien.

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Published on June 15, 2025

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Keir Starmer (born September 2, 1962, London , England) is a British politician and barrister (lawyer) who became leader of the Labour Party in 2020. He has served as a member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras since 2015. Starmer became prime minister of the United Kingdom, replacing Rishi Sunak , after a landslide Labour victory in the July 4, 2024, British general election.

Early life and legal career

Starmer is one of four children of Rodney Starmer, who worked as a toolmaker in a factory, and Josephine (née Baker) Starmer, a nurse. He was named Keir after the first parliamentary leader of the Labour Party, J. Keir Hardie. Starmer grew up in Surrey and attended Reigate Grammar School, a selective state school that became private during his time as a student there. The first member of his family to attain a university degree, he graduated from the University of Leeds with a bachelor of law degree in 1985. He next earned a postgraduate bachelor of civil law degree at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford. Between 1986 and 1987 Starmer belonged to the editorial collective of the left-wing magazine Socialist Alternatives.

In 1987 Starmer began practicing as a barrister at the Middle Temple, one of London’s Inns of Court. Three years later he cofounded the Doughty Street Chambers legal practice, for which he acted as joint head for several years, beginning in 2002. That same year he was appointed queen’s (now king’s) counsel (a senior barrister chosen to serve as a counsel to the crown).

While practicing law, Starmer focused largely on criminal defense work, with a special emphasis on human rights issues, both in the U.K. and overseas. He defended convicts sentenced to the death penalty in several Caribbean countries and was also a member of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s death penalty advisory panel from 2002 to 2008. In addition, he served as the human rights adviser to the Northern Ireland Policing Board (2003–08) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). He would later cite his time in these roles as a major influence on his decision to run for Parliament.

Starmer became the director of public prosecutions (DPP) and head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2008 and remained in that position until 2013 Among the most prominent cases that occurred during Starmer’s tenure as DPP was the sexual abuse scandal involving media personality Jimmy Savile, whom the CPS chose, controversially, not to prosecute. In 2022 Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson would make a seemingly politically motivated (and unsubstantiated) accusation that Starmer had been responsible for the decision not to prosecute Savile. At least partly in response to the scandal (and the mistaken notion that false accusations of rape are commonplace), Starmer implemented changes in the handling of sexual abuse allegations to avoid approaches that could “lead to injustice” for victims of rape.

While DPP, Starmer oversaw the prosecution of Chris Huhne, secretary of state for energy and climate change, who was forced to resign from the cabinet of the Conservative-Liberal coalition government as a result of criminal proceedings related to a speeding incident. During the 2011 riots that erupted in London and a number of other British cities, Starmer favored the tactic of quick prosecutions over long sentences. In 2014 he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) for his service to law and criminal justice.