France has warned it wont sign a joint statement at the G7 summit in Quebec this week if the United States doesnt adjust its stance on contentious policy issues.
French President Emmanuel Macron wants to make progress in discussions on tariffs, the Paris climate agreement and the Iran nuclear deal before signing the usual joint statement, which details a range of policy issues on which all leaders of the G7 group agree, a French official in the presidents office told Bloomberg on Wednesday.
Macrons warning comes a day after German Chancellor Angela Merkel sent a similar message in parliament, where she told lawmakers there was “no sense in papering over divisions” if leaders could not agree on common language.
The transatlantic relationship has come under strain following Donald Trumps decision last month to hit three of its largest trading partners — Mexico, Canada and the EU — with new duties on steel and aluminum imports and pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement.
Macron, who has previously positioned himself as the U.S. presidents “interpreter in Europe,” expects the other G7 countries — Canada, Italy, Japan, Germany and the U.K. — to challenge the U.S. presidents tariffs, according to Bloomberg.
He will also push for the summits joint statement to state that any attempt to jeopardize the global trade system constitutes a threat, and has said that any language condemning the Iran nuclear deal would be unacceptable, Bloomberg reported.
Read this next: Putin seeks consular access to Yulia Skripal
