Donald Trump leaves the G7 summit in La Malbaie, Quebec
Credit: Canadian Press/Rex/Shutterstock

Who was there?

The G7 is attended by the leaders of the seven main western economies, and has been seen as a chance for world leaders to discuss the chief diplomatic and economic issues of the day. Leaders from the US, France, Canada, Germany Japan, Italy and the UK attend. EU officials also attend, as do chiefs from multilateral bodies such as the IMF. Russia used to attend the event, but it was blackballed following the 2014 annexation of Crimea. Since its inception in 1975, its tone is supposed to be gentle – as much fireside chat as firefighting. A G7 shibboleth is support for free trade, and a rules-based world order.

Donald Trump’s now infamous blow-up occurred as much before and after the summit, as during it.

In the run-up, the US president announced he was slapping tariffs on EU steel and […]