German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has started the extended G7 summit in Canada with bilateral talks.
Upon his arrival, the Chancellor met with the host, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, on Sunday evening local time, which translates to early Monday morning in Germany. The Prime Minister, in a pre-camera statement, praised the Chancellor’s leadership in times of economic challenge, to which the Chancellor replied, “I love this country.” The Chancellor then met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a smaller group.
Canada has allocated significantly more time for the summit compared to last year’s host, Italy and even the G20 meeting in Rio last autumn, which was shorter. The agenda includes seven working sessions, with only two main topics: economy and security.
The first and last sessions are titled “Global Economic Outlook” with the intervening sessions focusing on “Economic Growth, Security and Resilience” “Making Societies Safe” or “Making the World Safe.” On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will join the discussions, with the session titled “A Strong and Sovereign Ukraine.”
In between, Chancellor Merz has planned numerous bilateral meetings, with talks already confirmed with the leaders of Japan, Australia, India, South Africa and Brazil. The Chancellor is expected to return to Berlin on Wednesday afternoon.