Scott Morrison to attend G7 as guest of Donald Trump

President Trump called Scott Morrison on Tuesday morning to officially invite him to the G7, scheduled for September.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: AAP

Scott Morrison will attend this year’s Group of Seven summit in the United States as a guest of Donald Trump, but the President’s push to readmit Russia to the elite global club has been rejected by key allies.

The President called the Prime Minister on Tuesday morning to officially invite him to the G7, scheduled for September, and discuss Mr Trump’s plan for Australia to join an expanded grouping that would also include Russia, South Korea and India.

The 15 minute call came amid widespread rioting across the US over the killing of ­African-­American George Floyd, and threats by President Trump to send in the military to “dominate the streets’’.

Before picking up the phone to Mr Morrison, Mr Trump spoke to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin about a “possible invitation” to attend the G7.

But the British and Canadian governments rejected Mr Trump’s bid to have Russia return to the bloc, after its expulsion in 2014 from what was then the G8 after its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Russia’s “continued disrespect and flaunting of international rules and norms is why it remains outside of the G7, and it will continue to remain out.”

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK opposed allowing Russia back into the group because it was “yet to see evidence of changed behaviour which would justify readmittance”.

Mr Morrison’s spokesman said future membership of the group was “a matter for the existing G7 countries to decide”.

“Australia's position and views on Russia are well known and won't change at all due to their involvement in G7+,” he said.

“It is in Australia’s interests to participate regardless and we will continue to provide our views consistent with our values.”

It will be the second G7 in a row for Mr Morrison. He attended in 2019 at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Mr Morrison’s office said the summit would be “another significant opportunity to promote our interests during highly uncertain times in the global economy”.

“It’s important for Australians that we are there,” the Prime Minister told Mr Trump, according to a readout of the call.

Five Eyes foreign ministers also had talks on Tuesday morning, attended an hour-long video conference to discuss “support of democratic values”, and the need to work together to develop critical technologies and trusted supply chains.

China’s security crackdown on Hong Kong was a key item on the agenda, along with the importance of the Australian-led push for an independent review of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne participated in the talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, and Canadian Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne.

The coronavirus crisis has made the hardening of key supply chains an urgent priority for nations across the world.

There is also growing momentum in democratic countries against Chinese technology companies including Huawei and ZTE participating in 5G networks.

The UK is pitching a new “D10” grouping that would include G7 nations plus Australia, South Korea and India, which would co-operate on developing new digital technology to compete with Chinese 5G products.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute defence and national security program director Michael Shoebridge said trust, rather than the lowest price, was now at a premium in the global economy.

“That’s what the Five Eyes is all about. It's a relationship based on deep trust,” Mr Shoebridge said.

“It's a really interesting reset of the globalised economy. It means trust is now an appreciating currency globally.”

He said to have credibility, “a coherent and united approach to 5G” should be central to the new democratic technology partnership.