Macron: 'Things moving forward' after G7 trade spat

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French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that "things were moving forward" at a G7 summit in Canada as he held talks with Donald Trump that focused on the US president's decision to slap tariffs on America's allies.

"Things are moving forward at the G7," Macron told reporters at the start of their own one-on-one talks which followed bilateral talks among all the group's leaders.

Trump sits with Macron during a bilateral meeting at the G7 Summit in Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada, June 8, 2018. /VCG Photo

"I think we had a very open and direct discussion this afternoon, we've always had this kind of discussion. And I think on trade, there is a critical path, there is a way to progress altogether," Macron said, speaking in English.

"We had a very direct and open discussion and I saw the willingness on all the sides to find agreement and have a win-win approach for our people, our workers and our middle classes."

Trump, who has exchanged barbs with Macron via Twitter in the lead-up to the summit in Canada, also had warm words for the French president.

Trump shakes hands with Macron during a bilateral meeting at the G7 Summit in Charlevoix, Quebec, June 8, 2018. /VCG Photo

"We have a very really good relationship, very special," said Trump who recently hosted Macron for a state visit, the first since the American president came to power.

Trump, Macron cool down the buddy act

It was only six weeks ago when Trump and Macron grinned, laughed, and hugged their way through a state visit in Washington, showing all the signs of two leaders with a genuine friendship.

But at the G7 summit in Canada, the physical bonhomie between the two leaders was pared back, signaling tensions that boiled over publicly just before the meeting.

Trump and Macron hold a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, June 8, 2018. /VCG Photo

Unable to persuade Trump to consider ways to stay in the Iran nuclear deal, and stung by US tariffs on European steel and aluminum, Macron appeared to be recalibrating his approach to Trump.

"I think Macron has had some very hard lessons in terms of how far flattery can get you," said Julie Smith, a former national security aide in the Obama administration.

Trump and Macron hold a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, June 8, 2018. /VCG Photo

Trump's escalation of tensions with allies was "beyond shortsighted," said Heather Conley, a former US State Department official in the George W. Bush administration.

(Cover: Trump and Macron hold a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, June 8, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters