LA MALBAIE, Quebec, June 9, 2018 (News Wires) - President Donald Trump charged into the Group of Seven summit at odds with allies over US trade penalties and then tried to ease tensions with friendly banter. He has made vague claims of progress in talks about the new tariffs, but details are scant and clear differences remain. Other countries "have been taking advantage of the United States on trade," Trump said, laying out his fundamental grievance as he joined leaders of major industrialized nations assembled at a Canadian resort for the annual meeting. He stirred things up even more by suggesting the G-7 welcome back Russia, ousted from the group after it annexed Crimea. Trump on Saturday planned to attend a morning event focused on gender equality before departing for Singapore and his summit Tuesday with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. The president intended to skip G-7 sessions on climate change, clean energy and ocean protection. Trump's recent moves, building on 18 months of nationalist policymaking, have left him out of step with the G-7 and prompted speculation that the group could fracture into something more like the "G-6 plus one." But in meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump stressed his friendships with the allies while insisting he wanted to see changes on trade. Trump bantered easily with Trudeau, joking that Trudeau had "agreed to cut all tariffs and all trade barriers." And he emphasized a "good relationship" with Macron, saying they sometimes have a "little test" on trade, but predicting a positive outcome. Still, the disputes hardly faded away.
