Trump and world leaders meet at G7 summit

President Donald Trump reiterated on Monday he would like to bring Russia back into the G7, but admitted that other leaders of the world's biggest economies disagreed with him.

Trump said he told his counterparts it would be advantageous to readmit Russia to the group. "There are people that agree with me 100%, but there are some that don't," Trump said. "We did have a discussion about Russia," he added.

Sitting next to him, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel made it clear her priority is to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukraine has been locked in a proxy war with Russia for five years, and the conflict has claimed around 13,000 lives in the country's east. Western powers imposed sanctions on Russia after it annexed Crimea in 2014.

"I want the talks now between the Ukrainian President and the Russian President... I think we have to try and bring this forward in the next few months," Merkel said when asked about Russia.

"It's a big problem and we have enough problems in the world as it is, I think we ought to make progress on this one," she added.

President Donald Trump said the next G7 summit, which is scheduled to take place in the United States in 2020, is likely going to take place in Miami.

He said it will be "right next" to the Miami airport, avoiding the need to "drive for hours and hours and hours."

"We are thinking about it, they like the location, and it's Miami, it's a great area," Trump said.

President Donald Trump is meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday morning.

Speaking to journalists at the summit, the two said they discussed the United States' trade war with China.

Merkel said she was hoping that the US and China can strike a deal that would ease the tensions between the world's two biggest economies.

"Of course, we are all linked together, we have all interest to find a solution and would be very glad if an agreement could be found between China and the US.”

"She's a brilliant woman, she understands," Trump said.

President Donald Trump said he has received positive signals from China on a trade deal.

Speaking in France on Monday morning, Trump said "China called last night" to relay a desire to return to negotiations. He described the calls as "productive."

"Let's get back to the table," Trump said, describing the message from Beijing.

"They want to make a deal. They want calm. That’s a great thing, frankly," Trump said alongside Egypt's president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

"This is a very positive development for the world," Trump said, adding later: "I think we're going to make a deal."

President Donald Trump didn't make it to the start of a G7 session on climate on Monday, according to reporters in the room.

As the meeting got underway, the seat reserved for Trump was empty. Other G7 leaders -- including Boris Johnson, Shinzo Abe, Emmanuel Macron, Justin Trudeau, Angela Merkel -- were there. 

Macron began the session jokingly chiding Johnson to come to "order." He then presented the other leaders with wrist watches made from recycled plastics.

In the lead-up to the G7, Trump's aides said he wasn't interested in the climate portions of the summit, believing them a waste of time compared to discussion of the economy.

It wasn't immediately clear if Trump joined the session late, since cameras were dismissed from the room after a few minutes.

A meeting between UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the European Council President Donald Tusk on the summit's sidelines did not bring any major surprise on Brexit.

According to a statement from the Downing Street, Johnson repeated, once again, that "the UK will be leaving the EU on 31 October whatever the circumstances."

He also said the withdrawal deal agreed by his predecessor Theresa May was "anti-democratic."

Ahead of the meeting, Tusk said the EU was "willing to listen to ideas that are operational, realistic, and acceptable to all Member States including Ireland, if and when the UK government is ready to put them on the table."

Holger Schmieding, the chief economist at Berenberg Bank, said his main takeaway from the summit so far is the lack of "big negative headlines."

"Unlike last time in Canada when the G7 meeting ended with a bust-up, the Biarritz summit has not yet made big negative headlines," Schmieding said in a note on Monday morning.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been working the floor at his first-ever G7 summit, hoping to set the stage for future trade deals with the world's biggest economies.

The United Kingdom is set to leave the European Union at the end of October. Unless a major breakthrough is reached in the next few weeks, the country could end up crashing out of the world's biggest trading bloc without a deal. A messy Brexit would hurt the British (and, to a lesser extent, the European) economy.

Johnson is hoping that the void left by the EU could be filled by other countries. He met the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison early on Monday.

According to a statement from Downing Street, the two leaders discussed "enhanced and deep trading relationship."

Johnson has also met US President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The final day of the summit is shaping up to be busy for all those involved.

President Trump started the day with the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Trump is also expected to meet the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and appear at a joint press conference with the host, French President Emmanuel Macron.

The leaders of the world's biggest economies are also set to take part in sessions covering climate, biodiversity and digital transformation, before attending the closing talks in the afternoon.