dismay at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for holding a press conference in which Canada restated its position on tariffs (a public criticism of Trump's economic policy), and directed his representatives at the meeting not to sign the economic section of the joint communiqué that is typically issued at the conclusion of the meeting. German Chancellor Angela Merkel described Trump's behaviour as a "depressing withdrawal," while French President Emmanuel Macron invited him "to be serious." In the final statement signed by all members except the US, the G7 announced its intention to recall sanctions and to be ready to take further restrictive measures within the next months against the Russian Federation for its failure to completely implement the Minsk Agreement. Trump repeated calls for Russia to be re-admitted to the group at the 2019 meeting in Biarritz, saying it should be included in discussions relating to Iran, Syria, and North Korea. The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte supported Trump's proposal, Shinzo Abe of Japan was neutral, and the rest of the G7 pushed back against the suggestion, after which the atmosphere allegedly became "tense". 2019 Amazon rainforest fires and Brazil U.S. President Donald Trump's reiteration that Russia should be readmitted to the group (see above), the instigation of a trade war with China, increased tensions in Iran, Trump's alleged reluctance to attend the conference, and a number of international crises made the 2019 G7 meeting in Biarritz, France, the most divided since its inception. Following President Trump's previous revocation of his signature to a joint communiqué agreed to in 2018 due to an alleged slight from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (see above), French President Emmanuel Macron agreed that the group would not issue a joint communiqué at the Biarritz conference. The G7 nations pledged US$20 million to help Brazil and other countries in South America fight the wildfires. This money was welcomed, although it was widely seen as a "relatively small amount" given the scale of the problem. Macron threatened to block a major trade deal between the European Union and Brazil (Mercosur) that would benefit the agricultural interests accused of driving deforestation. See also List of G7 leaders Build Back Better World Developed country E7 (countries) G4 (EU) G6 (EU) G8 G8+5 G10 currencies Group of Twelve (G12) G20 List of country groupings List of multilateral free-trade agreements Quint Great power Junior 8 Notes References External links 2023