Trump Shifts G7 Summit Until After U.S. Election

President Donald Trump on Monday postponed the Group of Seven (G7) meeting until after the United States election in November, after a previous delay due to COVID-19 concerns, CNN reported.

“I’m much more inclined to do it sometime after the election,” Trump told reporters at a news briefing. “We were going to do it in September.”

G7 is an international intergovernmental economic organisation consisting of seven major developed countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The countries are the largest IMF-advanced economies in the world.

The presidency of the G7 rotates annually, and Mr Trump is this year’s chair.

According to CNN, the summit was slated to be held at Camp David in June, and after a tentative plan to postpone the meeting and switch to a virtual conference, Mr Trump had floated in May the idea of doing it in person in the fall.

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Mr Trump said the White House had not yet formally invited leaders.

“We haven’t sent out invitations. We’re talking to them,” he said.

The American leader said he planned to invite countries that are not formal members of the Group of Seven.

When asked whether he would invite Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Trump said he would do so because Mr Putin is an “important factor.”

“I certainly would invite him to the meeting. I think he’s an important factor.”