President Donald Trump and French President Emanuel Macron said there was unity on major issues at the G-7 summit in France, despite differences on display during the gathering that was dominated by trade issues, Iran’s nuclear program and the fires scorching the Amazon.
At the joint news conference Monday, Trump spoke of “tremendous unity” at the summit, while Macron said all parties “have managed to find real points of convergence.”
Iran meeting
On Iran, Macron said he hoped for the meeting in the near future between Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
“If the circumstances were correct, I would certainly agree to that,” Trump said while stressing that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles.
Macron reiterated his commitment to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement that Trump pulled out of last year. Trump again called it a bad deal.
US-China trade
During the summit, G-7 leaders here have expressed concern about the escalation of the U.S.-China trade fight.
Trump said the U.S. has received a positive call from Beijing on the issue. “They want to get something done,” he said.
Russia
On the issue of Russia, Trump has been at odds with most other G7 leaders about his desire to readmit Moscow into the group.
In 2014, G-8 members suspended Russian membership over the annexation of Crimea, a territory part of Ukraine which Moscow still now occupies.
Trump said Russia would be an “asset” to the G-7 and again blamed on its annexation of Crimea on his predecessor President Barack Obama.