Summits |  Meetings |  Publications |  Research |  Search |  Home |  About the G7 Research Group

Analytical Studies > Analysis on the 2025 Kananaskis Summit
G7 Summits > 2025 Kananaskis Summit > Road to the 2025 Kananaskis Summit

The Significant Performance of the G7's 2025 Kananaskis Summit

John Kirton, G7 Research Group
June 17, 2025, 20h30 MT

The G7’s 2025 Kananaskis Summit has produced a significant performance, with important advances across all of its demanding agenda on security, the economy, technology and democracy (see Appendix A).

By the end of the summit, there were seven communiqués and a chair’s summary, with text agreed by all members, including Donald Trump’s United States. In addition to the chair’s summary, they covered the Israel-Iran war that started on the summit’s eve, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, transnational repression, wildfires, migration and critical minerals. It was the first time G7 leaders had acted on wildfires and on quantum computing in such a direct, comprehensive and ambitious way.

Together these communiqués contained 130 collective, precise, future-oriented, politically obligatory commitments, with 18 more coming in the concluding chair’s summary, discussed and agreed by all, released at the summit’s end.

The brand new Kananaskis Wildfire Charter contained 19 such commitments in 539 words. The G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan, with 972 words, had 11 commitments. The G7 Leaders’ Statement on Transnational Repression had 8 commitments in 558 words. The G7 Leaders’ Statement on AI for Prosperity had 1,811 words and 47 commitments. The G7 Kananaskis Common Vision for the Future of Quantum Technologies Commitments had 21 commitments in 519 words. The G7 Leaders’ Statement on Countering Migrant Smuggling had 408 words with 11 commitments. The G7 Leaders’ Statement on Recent Developments between Israel and Iran, released at the end of the first day of the summit, had 131 words and 3 commitments. The seven communiqués issued before the closing press conference gave only two compliments to G7 members, one each to Japan and Italy, with both on AI.

The Chair’s Summary, with 1,202 words and 18 commitments, included passages that all G7 leaders had agreed to, including its text on Ukraine.

The centre of attention, as expected, was US president Donald Trump. He came wearing a lapel pin showing he wanted his United States and Canada to work together, and he acted that way throughout the summit. At his bilateral meeting with the Canadian prime minister he concluded by saying that Mark Carney’s proposed complex formula for ending their trade dispute was a good one, which he would consider. The two leaders set a 30-day deadline to do this work.

Further advances came in the many bilateral meetings held with Trump and between different pairs of G7 leaders, throughout the the first day, and of the summit proper. Canada announced deals with France and the European Union, and Trump and Starmer signed a trade deal and made progress on reducing tariffs between their countries. And at the summit table that day, leaders had a good discussion on curbing traffic in drugs, people and weapons, and the many other issues where the resulting commitments were codified in the communiqués.

Trump was in a cooperative mood throughout and in all had a “great day,” according to his press secretary as the evening began.

To be sure, the US announced that evening that Trump would be leaving for Washington after dinner that evening to deal with the escalating crisis caused by Israel’s war with Iran. But this was a credible reason. He had stayed for almost all of the opening G7-only day, and many other G7 summits have had leaders’ leave early and even arrive late before. As he left, the G7 leaders issued a joint statement on the recent developments between Israel and Iran (see “G7 Issues Joint Statement on the Israel-Iran War”). And it was only just before midnight that Trump departed. The only harsh word from him came once again after takeoff, when, at 1h15 he criticized French president Emmanuel Macron on Truth Social for saying Trump had left to seek a “ceasefire” between Israel and Iran.

The second day built on and broadened this progress, as the remaining G7 leaders met with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Led by Carney with a new multibillion dollar donation to Ukraine, G7 leaders promised more support for Ukraine and more sanctions on Russia. Then they met with their carefully selected, major power, democratic guests, to focus on energy security. Many of these leaders’ countries were included by name in the G7’s communiqués released at two pm.

Despite this progress, there were some notable gaps. None of those seven documents issued before the Chair’s Summary contained any mention, let alone action, on “climate change” by that name, even if important steps to control it were taken under the work on wildfires, critical minerals and artificial intelligence. Nor was there action on health, despite the reference to how wildfires harmed human health and action against illegal drugs. And there was no separate statement on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Still, at Kananaskis, these G7 leaders and their democratic partners had poured the summit glass three quarters’ full. And more fresh water could be added at the G7 ministerial meetings during the rest of the year, especially the one on energy, the environment and climate change.

[back to top]

Appendix A: 2025 Kananaskis Summit Performance ↩

Compiled by John Kirton, Julia Kulik and Brittaney Warren

[back to top]

—	This Information System is provided by the University of Toronto Libraries and the G7 Research Group at the University of Toronto.
	Please send comments to: g7@utoronto.ca This page was last updated June 18, 2025.

All contents copyright © 2025. University of Toronto unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.