U.S. President Donald Trump’s abbreviated and disinterested visit to the G-7 summit in Canada helped advance none of the group’s goals, especially in dealing with trade wars and real wars. 

Trump left the summit late on Monday, saying he was heading back to Washington early to deal with the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. That left the rest of the meeting, which continued Tuesday, as a rump G-6 with perhaps more comity but less ability to coordinate meaningful action on everything from tougher sanctions on Russia to a joint stance on the Israel-Iran conflict. 

U.S. President Donald Trump’s abbreviated and disinterested visit to the G-7 summit in Canada helped advance none of the group’s goals, especially in dealing with trade wars and real wars. 

Trump left the summit late on Monday, saying he was heading back to Washington early to deal with the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. That left the rest of the meeting, which continued Tuesday, as a rump G-6 with perhaps more comity but less ability to coordinate meaningful action on everything from tougher sanctions on Russia to a joint stance on the Israel-Iran conflict. 

Trump’s discomfort with meetings of big democracies was made patent when he suggested, again, that Russia should be readmitted to the group, which it was kicked out of after it invaded Ukraine the first time, in 2014. Trump also broached the idea of China joining the club.

“I think there were low expectations of what was going to be achieved at this meeting,” said Rachel Ziemba, an adjunct........

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