Overview

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will not attend next week’s NATO summit in The Hague, with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles taking his place.
• Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, is leading ongoing diplomatic efforts to lock in a meeting between Albanese and President Trump.
• Trump’s attendance at the NATO talks remains uncertain as he weighs action on the Israel-Iran crisis.
• Opposition figures have branded Albanese’s reliance on chance encounters with Trump as a “very risky” strategy.
• The Prime Minister is seeking to negotiate US tariff exemptions, advance the AUKUS submarine pact and coordinate defence spending and support for Ukraine with allies.