AUSTRALIA PERSPECTIVE

Canberra, June 18, 2026. The Evian-les-Bains G7 represents, according to Australian press, a sharp rupture in Western diplomacy. ABC News reports that the days of global leaders filing through the White House to flatter Trump and deliver gifts now belong to the past. At Evian, the G7 partners display, for the first time since Trump's return to power, open criticism—and their domestic approval ratings climb when they do so.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer had already faced Trump's wrath by refusing to allow British bases for strikes against Iran, earning the label "no Winston Churchill." Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has, according to ABC, also been targeted for her "lack of courage." This new alignment—allies resisting rather than acquiescing—represents one of the summit's most complex variables, notes ABC.

Australia was not invited this year, a departure from certain previous summits where the nation participated as a guest invitee. This absence underscores Canberra's peripheral position in the major geopolitical negotiations of this moment.

On the Iran-USA accord, the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age publish in-depth analysis of the Trump-Netanyahu relationship, now in "uncharted territory." Israel is deeply disappointed by the US-Iran negotiations: Netanyahu refuses any agreement leaving Iran its nuclear capacity and continues bombing Lebanon despite Trump's directive to halt. The memorandum of understanding, to be signed in Geneva Friday, enshrines a ceasefire and opens 60 days of negotiations. ABC recalls Trump's own quip: "If it works, I get the credit. If it fails, I blame JD [Vance]."

PerthNow highlights that Trump justified the accord by claiming he had averted a "global economic catastrophe," celebrating that maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz had "sharply increased" since the ceasefire announcement. Brent crude fell below 80 US dollars—its lowest level since the conflict began—before rebounding more than one percent after Trump hinted at resuming hostilities if Iran failed to honor commitments.

Meanwhile, PerthNow notes that Washington announced over one billion dollars in humanitarian aid to the United Nations—more than 800 million for the World Food Programme and 218 million for UNICEF—amid broader questions about whether American contributions to the UN remain substantially below pre-Trump levels.