SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Group of Seven summit in Canada for talks on the AUKUS defence pact and tariffs, in what will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders.
Albanese, who this month said he was looking forward to a “face-to-face” meeting with Trump without saying when it would occur, said he would meet Trump on Tuesday on the sidelines of the G7 summit, which starts on Sunday.
“We do have a meeting scheduled. Obviously, there are issues that the US President is dealing with at the moment, but I expect that we will be able to have a constructive engagement,” Albanese said in Seattle on Saturday, according to an official transcript of his remarks.
“Obviously, we’ll raise tariffs, we’ll raise the importance as well of AUKUS, and we will have a discussion as two friends should,” Albanese added.
Washington’s request for Canberra to raise defence spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product from 2% is also expected to feature in the meeting.
The confirmation of talks comes after the Pentagon said this week it was reviewing its AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership with Australia and Britain. Australia, which sees the submarines as critical to its defense amid China’s expansive military buildup, has said it will work closely with the U.S. on the review.
AUKUS, to which Australia has pledged A$368 billion over three decades, was formed in 2021 to address worries about China’s growing power.
“I look forward to building on the very constructive phone conversations that we’ve had on the three occasions that we’ve had the opportunity to talk,” Albanese added.
A key U.S. security ally, Australia on Saturday welcomed a key U.S. warship to Sydney Harbour ahead of joint war games that will see more than 30,000 personnel from 19 militaries take part in Talisman Sabre, the largest Australian-U.S. war-fighting exercise.
(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney, editing by Deepa Babington)
