SEATTLE — June 15, 2025, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed a scheduled meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada, where the two leaders are expected to hold pivotal discussions on the AUKUS defence pact, trade tariffs, and regional security cooperation.
“We do have a meeting scheduled,” Prime Minister Albanese said on Saturday in Seattle, according to an official transcript of his remarks. “Obviously, there are issues that the U.S. President is dealing with at the moment, but I expect that we will be able to have a constructive engagement.”
The bilateral meeting will mark the first in-person encounter between Albanese and President Trump since Trump’s return to office earlier this year.
Albanese confirmed that Australia intends to raise concerns over trade tariffs and emphasize the strategic importance of the AUKUS alliance during the talks. “We’ll raise tariffs, we’ll raise the importance as well of AUKUS, and we will have a discussion as two friends should,” he noted.
Focus on Defence Commitments and AUKUS Review
The meeting comes at a time of renewed scrutiny over the AUKUS trilateral security partnership among Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The U.S. Department of Defense announced earlier this week that it is undertaking a review of the nuclear-powered submarine agreement, which forms a central pillar of the AUKUS pact.
Australia has pledged A$368 billion over three decades toward the submarine project, which is seen as critical to countering China’s expanding military presence in the Indo-Pacific. Albanese reaffirmed Canberra’s commitment to work closely with Washington throughout the review process.
Also expected to feature in the leaders’ discussions is Washington’s request for Canberra to increase its defence spending from the current 2% of GDP to 3.5%, aligning more closely with evolving strategic demands.
“I look forward to building on the very constructive phone conversations we’ve had on the three occasions we’ve had the opportunity to talk,” Albanese added.
Strengthening Strategic Alliance
Underscoring the depth of defence ties between the two nations, Australia welcomed a U.S. warship into Sydney Harbour on Saturday ahead of Talisman Sabre 2025, a major joint military exercise. The biennial drills will involve more than 30,000 personnel from 19 nations, making it the largest war-fighting exercise ever hosted by Australia.
As a longstanding and key security ally of the United States, Australia’s role in regional security frameworks continues to expand amid growing geopolitical competition, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.
The meeting between Trump and Albanese is anticipated to reinforce the strength of the U.S.-Australia alliance and set the stage for deeper defence and economic cooperation in the years ahead.
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