Trump creates suspense with late arrival at G7 summit breakfast

US President Donald created suspense on Saturday by arriving late for the first meeting of the second and final day of the G7 summit.

Trump was last to arrive for the G7 working breakfast, walking into the room when the summit's host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, had nearly finished his welcome and presentation speech, Efe reported.

The late arrival at a session, where the G7 leaders were discussing gender equality and women's empowerment sparked concerns that the US president might not participate at all in Saturday's meetings.

The President had expressed displeasure at having to the attend the summit, a gathering that began Friday in this town outside Quebec City amid tensions over the Trump administration's imposition of metals tariffs on US allies.

Trump also forced a change in the official schedule with his decision to leave the summit early to travel to Singapore, where he is scheduled to hold a historic meeting on Tuesday with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Although Trump engaged in a Twitter spat with French President Emmanuel Macron and Trudeau in the hours prior to the start of the summit, the tensions cooled once all the leaders came face-to-face for talks on Friday.

--IANS

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