Trump Expected To Talk Climate Change At G-7 Summit
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- President Donald Trump is attending the G-7 summit in Sicily - joining the leaders of six other wealthy democracies.
Efforts to combat terrorism will be a focal point, but discussions on climate change and free trade are expected to prove more challenging.
Friday morning after arriving in Sicily for the G-7 summit, President Trump tweeted, "Getting ready to engage G7 leaders on many issues including economic growth, terrorism, and security."
The president and six other heads of state are holding several meetings Friday and Saturday. They are also expected to tackle climate change which the president has called a "hoax."
"It is no secret that leaders who are meeting today sometimes have very different positions on topics such as climate change and trade," said European Union Council President Donald Tusk.
Environmental activists staged demonstrations, calling on members of the G-7 to pressure Trump to support the Paris Climate Accord or move forward without the United States.
"G7 countries played a major role in polluting our planet and must now lead the way to the solution," said Luca Lacoboni, Head of climate and energy campaign for Greenpeace Italy.
President Trump has taken an offensive approach in Europe, scolding some of the most loyal allies of the United States for not paying their fair share toward defense spending as NATO members. Still, the president is hailing the trip as a success.
Earlier on the sidelines of the G-7 summit, Trump met with Japanese Prime Miniser Shinzo Abe about a range of topics including the threat posed by North Korea.
"It's a big problem. It's a world problem, and it will be solved at some point. It will be solved, you can bet on that," said Trump.
President Trump is also set to meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May.That meeting is expected to be tense. British officials are upset with the U.S. over leaked photographs from the scene of the Manchester Terror Attack.
President Trump will later head back home from his first international trip since taking office. During the trip he visited Saudi Arabia, Israel, the Vatican, and Brussels.
The G7 members include the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
