Albanese and other world leaders ‘understood’ why Trump had to cancel meetings, White House claims

The Prime Minister is still trying to nail down his first face-to-face meeting with the US President since his election, after Donald Trump left the G7 early.

The White House has claimed world leaders including Anthony Albanese who lost out on meetings with the President at the G7 earlier this month “understood” the snub.

The Prime Minister was seeking to have his first face-to-face meeting with President Trump at the global meeting of world leaders in Canada.

But the meeting was abruptly cancelled when Trump left the G7 early to tackle problems in the Middle East.

Asked on Thursday evening if the President had plans to make up those meetings, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she thought “many of those world leaders understood the situation happening in the Middle East and the urgency and the need for the President to get back to Washington to monitor that situation”.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said world leaders “understood” the snub. (Photo by Doug Mills / POOL / AFP)

“Obviously that was the right call considering the success of not only the operation on Saturday night, but also the ceasefire that the President has since brokered on behalf of not just our country but the entire world frankly.

“But he has made up a couple of those meetings and he has had direct phone calls with some of those leaders he was supposed to meet with as well.”

However, she acknowledged that “not all” of those meetings have yet been made up.

President Donald Trump with NATO country leaders. (Photo by Ben Stansall – Pool/Getty Images)

The Australian and US leaders have not had a face-to-face meeting since Mr Trump’s election seven months ago.

Mr Albanese said earlier this week in an interview on Sky News that he has “agreed” with Mr Trump to have a meeting “that will take place at a time that’s convenient for both of us”.

“That will be a good thing,” Mr Albanese said.

Originally published as Albanese and other world leaders ‘understood’ why Trump had to cancel meetings, White House claims