EU fears US leader may skip G7, NATO summits — newspaper

ROME, April 25. /TASS/. The G7 summit in France may be held without US President Donald Trump attending in person, and European countries are concerned that his participation via video link could further alienate the US from its allies, the Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported. The publication notes that the summit’s host, French President Emmanuel Macron, had previously attempted to secure the US leader’s attendance by moving the event’s date forward by one day, from June 14 - Trump’s birthday - to June 15, before the leaders exchanged critical remarks. The newspaper also recalls that the US sent an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit in Miami in December. Non-participation in the G7 summit could lead to the White House declining to attend the NATO meeting in Ankara in July. Although the Turkish side has assured its partners that Trump will be present, recent developments and US complaints about allies’ refusal to assist in Iran threaten the format’s integrity, the publication writes. It highlights numerous "cracks" within the North Atlantic Alliance, including Trump describing it as a "paper tiger." Another sign of tensions was US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth dismissing efforts by France and the UK to form a "coalition" in the Strait of Hormuz as ineffective. "All these anti-European sentiments are pushing Trump to ignore the G7," the newspaper writes, recalling that last year the US leader left the summit early and without warning.