WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will visit him soon, hinting at a forthcoming face-to-face meeting. Speaking to reporters as he left the White House for a state visit to Britain, Trump said, “Your leader is coming over to see me very soon,” without specifying the date.
Albanese, who was reelected in May to lead a center-left Labor government, is scheduled to visit the United States next week to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Although a formal bilateral meeting has yet to be arranged, Albanese will attend a reception hosted by Trump.
The planned encounter marks the first expected face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since a scheduled meeting at June’s G7 summit in Canada was canceled after Trump left early. Key topics likely to be discussed include the multi-billion dollar AUKUS security partnership, aimed at providing Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines to counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific—a project currently under Pentagon review.
Australia recently announced an A$12 billion ($8 billion) investment to establish defense facilities to support submarine deliveries under AUKUS, while U.S. officials debate the capacity of the American submarine industry to meet demand.
Prime Minister Albanese has described his recent phone conversations with Trump as “warm and constructive,” leaving open anticipation for their upcoming in-person dialogue during the UNGA week in New York.