G7: Stop Wavering in This 50th Anniversary Year
Canada hosted the just-concluded 2025 Group of Seven summit in its western Rocky Mountain region on June 15-17. This year, the leaders faced headwinds in the global economy due to the United States' tariff policies. As well, the international situation was increasingly tense due to the conflict between Israel and Iran.
In the uncertain atmosphere, the leaders of the G7 nations shelved a comprehensive summit declaration. They also failed to issue a joint statement on the situation in Ukraine.
American opposition to language criticizing Russia was one factor in the failure to agree on common positions. Along with it, they could not bridge the gap between Washington and Europe over issues such as the need for stronger sanctions against Moscow. The consequential lack of results from the summit was very disappointing. US President Donald Trump attends a G7 discussion leaders' summit in Kananaskis, western Canada on June 16. (Pool photo by Kyodo)
This year's gathering marked the 50th anniversary of the first summit of the then-Group of Six Industrialized Nations in 1975. At that time membership in the G6 consisted of the United States, four European nations, and Japan.
The G7 is an important forum for maintaining the international order and building consensus among democracies. Failure to reach consensus this time has left the impression that unity within the group has been wavering.
President Trump suddenly returned to the United States on the first day of the summit to deal with the situation in the Middle East. He then convened a National Security Council meeting at the White House. That was unavoidable, as the President is Commander-in-Chief of the US military.
However, the problem is that Trump failed to understand the value of the G7. During a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump said it was a "serious mistake" to exclude Russia from the G8 in 2014. At the time, the group had been an expanded version of the G7. Russia was then excluded from the group due to its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in southern Ukraine in the same year.
Trump has also said that adding China to the G7 might not be a bad idea. Such remarks could be seen as a sign that the US President does not envision the G7 confronting authoritarian countries. G7 leaders including PM Ishiba attend a discussion with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, in Kananaskis, western Canada, on the June 17. (©Kyodo)
The leaders of Japan, Europe and Canada must strive to ensure that Trump fully understands the significance of the G7.
In Kananaskis, the talks went ahead without Trump in attendance but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was included. Nonetheless, the group fell short in its effort to adopt a firm collective stance that could maximize pressure on Russia and force it to end its war of aggression.
Summit members, however, did declare their commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East. That included affirming their unwillingness to allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons. They also issued a separate statement on the supply chains for critical minerals such as rare earths. It is fair to say that the G7 has just managed to preserve its relevance.
In his opening remarks Carney summed the situation up as follows: "We're meeting at one of those hinge moments, those turning points in history. The world's more divided and dangerous."
It is precisely because we live in such an era of unprecedented turmoil and crisis that we should look to the G7 to play a leading role.
Japan and Europe have a responsibility to work to keep close ties with the United States and maintain unity.
(Read the editorial in Japanese .)
Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
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