While seven of the most well known and influential leaders in the world were hustling in their helicopters James Bond-style to gather in regional Canada for the Group of Seven (G7) talks, the real stars of the summit were the actual summits — the jaw dropping rocky mountains formed in prehistoric times that loomed over every moment of the discussions.
The tourism potential of six other wealthy nations all showcasing the Rockies in summer was a Canadian masterstroke in itself, as questions swirl about the potency of the G7 itself.
Tectonic plates collided over time to form the world-famous landscape, complete with massive glaciers, though one summiteer quipped their formation was still faster than making progress on world affairs these days.
Even the most imposing larger-than-life political figures were dwarfed by the natural grandeur.
US President Donald Trump operated as a chaos agent, blowing through the first day of meetings and then beating an early retreat to the White House, in the wake of more military action in the Middle East.
(Left to right) European Council President Antonio Costa, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, US President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Source: AAP, Press Association / Suzanne Plunkett
Trump touched down in grizzly bear country, lumbered into the meetings and immediately criticised the grouping for kicking Russia out, going on to suggest China should also be in the room.
Incendiary comments as the grouping tries to pull together the world’s democracies in the face of warmongers and authoritarian threats.
Australia announced new sanctions to try to cut off the operations of the so-called shadow fleets that illegally transport Russian oil for export. Other sanctions from nations at the summit were timed to be announced at the same time, but so far have shown to be ineffective in applying pressure on Putin to end the conflict that has cost so many lives on both sides.
Just how successful any of these new sanctions will be is debatable, but they are a message that these nations stand shoulder to shoulder against the Kremlin.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine’s leader arrived at the G7 summit just as US President Donald Trump was leaving. Source: Getty / Suzanne Plunkett
But the US president was delivering mid-air updates to journalists on Air Force One en route out of Canadian airspace, declaring mission accomplished just as the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was touching down in Kananaskis for the talks.
Zelenskyy made an impassioned plea to the remaining leaders about the appalling crisis his depleted nation faces as it buries the dead each day and left Kananaskis declaring “diplomacy is in crisis”.
The Kremlin capitalised and described the G7 as “useless”.
Another opportunity after Trump-Albanese talks cancelled?
Albanese alluded to another potential date in just a few days at the NATO meeting in The Hague, Netherlands. Australia is not a NATO member but has been invited to take part in the talks. In response to a question from SBS News, Albanese confirmed he was “considering” going.
But the talks are even shorter than the G7, and there will be many more nations clamouring for time with Trump to try to negotiate on tariffs. It would be a big story if a second meeting with our biggest security partner was cancelled in the space of a single week.
The sense within the highest echelons of the Australian government is that even though Trump has RSVPed to go to the NATO meeting, it’s not a guarantee he will show up. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles would be sent to represent Australia in that case.
In the end, the United Kingdom’s prime minister Keir Starmer managed to extract some murmurings and nods of support from Trump when the pair was asked about AUKUS in their joint press conference at the G7 — one of the key issues on Albanese’s agenda.
That came just after Trump lost hold of the papers he was carrying for a trade deal with Starmer and then went on to wrongly state he was excited about striking the agreement with the European Union.
Starmer appeared to play the role of Trump whisperer, and is now seen as diplomatically influential in engagement with Washington.
The White House briefed its press corps that the president was suffering from a bit of a flu, and that was why he made the mistake of referring to the EU while standing next to the prime minister of an entirely different country he had actually struck the agreement with.
US President Donald Trump (left) and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Starmer is seen as diplomatically influential to engagement with Washington. Source: AP / Suzanne Plunkett
Existential questions
The questions about the usefulness and validity of the G7 grouping together for these talks are now evergreen.
All of these events are highly stage-managed, and the lack of a joint communique is a bureaucratic but telling reality about the divisions that now exist between the six countries — Canada, France, Italy, the UK, Germany, Japan — and the United States.
The first day of the summit was exclusively reserved for the G7 leaders and their reporting teams who were holed up in Kananaskis at a ski resort.
All the “G7 plus” partners including Mexico, Australia and India, who have been invited as guests, were hours away in Calgary holding meetings at a local hotel and having separate social networking events.
Australia’s political team, along with India, Mexico, South Korea and Japan, was allowed to come up the mountain to attend the actual G7 on day two.
Trump’s early exit ensured Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum as well as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Albanese did not get to engage with him.
Albanese is yet to get his own follow-up call. The prime minister’s office released pictures of his American compromise — a chat with the US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and then some time with the director of the National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, and the US trade representative, Jamieson Greer.
A high-level Australian government source said Australia conveyed that it was relaxed about the beef tariffs imposed by the US in particular, because Australia exports have shot up and it’s just making American burgers more expensive.
The lack of the centrepiece meeting with the US president meant the prime minister had to swiftly pivot.
The main game became burnishing the relationship with the UK and Europe, focusing on building trade and defence ties as part of the dramatic global diversification underway to wean countries off the expectation of economic windfalls being driven by the US and China.
Curious grizzlies
The media were kept away from the main events almost all of the time and instead watched the developments on television screens in a separate press centre which served Ukrainian-inspired food and bucket loads of medium roast coffee.
We were escorted by local police to pre-arranged locations for mountain backdrop television appearances.
Wandering through the trees, I spoke to one of the police officers about the other apex predators congregating in these mountains: the grizzly bears.
Around Kananaskis and Banff the brown bears are part of the ecosystem and there have been deadly encounters with hikers.
The aggressive hunters can weigh up to 360kg here and if you come into contact with them, you should remain calm and not try to run away.
The local rangers suggest staying in big groups, and using a special bear spray to ward them off. Alternatively, you can talk calmly and firmly to them and explain you are not prey.
A ‘Bear in Area’ signboard near the entrance to Kananaskis Country Golf Course on 21 May. Kananaskis, in the Canadian province of Alberta, was where the G7 summit was held this year. Source: Getty, NurPhoto / Artur Widak
The Canadian National Parks advice is not to run, because that marks you as prey and could trigger a pursuit.
The police officer said that the perimeter fence built around the G7 site was holding up, but there had been a few signs of bear droppings — known as “scat” — near the fenceline, suggesting the grizzlies were curious and had been at the fence.
For world leaders grappling with conflicts erupting across the world, a stroll through the lodgepole pine, Douglas fir, white spruce, and aspen may have helped clear their heads.
But the perils are everywhere all the time, and the pace of resolution appears glacial.
SBS News chief political correspondent Anna Henderson was in Canada covering the G7 summit.
