Leaders of India, Ukraine join G7 summit as Trump makes early exit to deal with Middle East crisis

Good morning! I’m J.P. Tasker, a reporter travelling with Prime Minister Mark Carney at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta.

We were just on hand to watch Mark Rutte, the NATO secretary general, greet Carney before their bilateral meeting this morning here at the picturesque resort that’s playing host to this gathering of the world’s most powerful democratic leaders.

Rutte was clearly impressed by the Rocky Mountain landscape. “This is amazing!” he shouted as he approached the podium where leaders pose for photographs.

The beautiful scenery has been a conversation point all week among members of the foreign delegations — some say they are simply mesmerized by just how majestic it is in this part of Alberta.

U.S. President Donald Trump himself yesterday seemed struck by the landscape, where massive mountains poke out of the forest. “It’s so beautiful,” he said as he greeted Carney at this same spot.

Rutte isn’t here for the mountains alone, of course. The former Dutch prime minister, who has a close relationship with Canada, has been urging NATO allies to step up their defence spending — to meet and exceed the long-standing target of two per cent of GDP.

Carney has committed to that, saying there may be more spending to come to better prepare Canada for an increasingly dangerous world. We’ll see what, if anything, he promises Rutte today on these matters.

Just last week, Rutte warned NATO allies to prepare for war, given global uncertainty.

“History has taught us that to preserve peace, we must prepare for war. Wishful thinking will not keep us safe. We cannot dream away the danger. Hope is not a strategy. So NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance,” he said in a speech in the U.K.

Good morning. I’m a digital senior producer covering the G7 summit here in Alberta.

Today, the focus of the summit shifts to the leaders of non-G7 countries, including Brazil, India, Mexico, South Korea and, of course, Ukraine. As host of the summit, Prime Minister Mark Carney invited them all here and has one-on-one meetings with each of them.

His first one-on-one today is with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Carney promised earlier this month that Canada would meet NATO’s defence spending benchmark — two per cent of GDP — by the end of this fiscal year.

Carney is scheduled to hold a news conference at 6 p.m. ET today, just before his bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

I’m a producer based in Toronto, and I’ll be helping to curate our live updates from Kananaskis, Alta., today.

It’s Day 2 of the G7 summit and we have a team of reporters on the ground to bring you all the latest developments and analysis.

You can get caught up how Monday unfolded here.

Stay tuned as the day’s events get underway.