‘Globalist, soft on China signal': Anthony Albanese promotes Australia's independence from US
'I think you have to look at it as sort of a globalist, soft on China signal,' he told Sky News Australia.
'Maybe it's one that the United States invited because, you know, the review of AUKUS is sort of an own goal situation; it's a little unclear.'
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Sky News AU
40 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese 'raises eyebrows' in Washington by shying away from US in John Curtin address
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's decision to downplay the US alliance in a major address has rattled the diplomatic relationship amid an AUKUS review, defence spending tensions and criticism from the Trump administration. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has 'raised eyebrows' in the United States at a time of growing disunity, sparking further concerns about his relationship with Washington. In his weekend address at the 80th anniversary of former prime minister John Curtin's death, Mr Albanese distanced Australia from its history as a close ally of the US. He said that Australia would pursue its interests as a 'sovereign nation' and not be 'shackled to the past', after Mr Curtin led the country through WWII as a close ally of the US. Mr Albanese declared the US alliance should be seen as a 'product' of Mr Curtin's leadership in foreign, but not the 'extent' of it. 'Curtin's famous statement that Australia 'looked to America' was much more than the idea of trading one strategic guarantor for another,' Mr Albanese told the John Curtin Research Centre. 'It was a recognition that Australia's fate would be decided in our region.' The comments have been interpreted by policy experts as a rhetorical step away from the US alliance, and risk being seen in Washington as a signal of diplomatic divergence. Former Trump senior advisor Christian Whiton weighed in on the Prime Minister's speech, telling Sky News that it would be met with "skepticism" by the US. 'I think you have to look at it as sort of a globalist, soft on China signal,' Mr Whiton said on Sunday. 'Maybe it's one that the United States invited because, you know, the review of AUKUS is sort of an own goal situation; it's a little unclear." Mr Whiton added that the Australian-US relationship was enduring and that the two countries' shared history was "more important than any verbiage back and forth" "There's a lot of mixed messages going on," he said. Retired major general of the Australian Army Mick Ryan also told Sky News that Mr Albanese's speech would "raise eyebrows in the US capital". "There was a huge amount of enthusiasm for talking down any threat whatsoever posed by China (in the speech)," Mr Ryan said. "The fact that the US wasn't mentioned, not just in the current concept, but also its great contribution to Australia's defence in the Pacific War will really affect many of our friends in the United States." It comes as the AUKUS agreement has come under review by the US Pentagon, a defence pact that was set up to enhance US involvement in securing the Indo-Pacific region. Nationals deputy leader Kevin Hogan warned on Sunday that Mr Albanese had failed to prioritise the US relationship since President Donald Trump was elected in November 2024. 'Given the importance of that country, not just on the economic relationship we have, but the national security relationship, it should be (embarrassing) to all Australians,' Mr Hogan said. 'We know the US is doing a review into AUKUS as well, and the fact our two leaders haven't had a chat and Albanese hasn't been able to secure that is absolutely embarrassing.' — Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 5, 2025 Tensions rise following AUKUS friction The fallout from Mr Albanese's speech followed weeks of growing strain in the trilateral AUKUS security pact after the US Pentagon ordered a review of the deal. A US defence official said the review would ensure the pact met President Trump's 'America First' agenda, amid criticism of Australia's comparatively low level of defence spending. That decision came before Australia and the UK adopted what critics described as 'ambiguous' positions on President Trump's recent strikes against Iran. Mr Albanese waited 24 hours before his government issued a carefully worded statement that stopped short of endorsing the US strikes, calling instead for 'de-escalation' and 'dialogue'. That response was branded 'flat-footed' by the opposition, with acting shadow foreign affairs minister Andrew Hastie saying Mr Albanese 'should have stood up and spoken to the Australian people'. 'Sending out a government spokesman to make a brief comment about one of the biggest events to happen in the last five years was not good enough,' Mr Hastie said at the time. The perceived reluctance to back US action in the Middle East likely deepened concerns in Washington over Australia's reliability as an ally. The Trump administration has been publicly frustrated by the Albanese government's resistance to increasing defence spending to 3.5 per cent requested by USDefence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Albanese government has committed to spending 2.3 per cent of GDP by 2033, far shy of the 5 per cent agreed to by NATO allies by 2035. PM dismisses concerns Despite the mounting concerns, Mr Albanese has downplayed the idea of a rift between Australia and the US. Speaking at the Sky News/The Australian's Economic Outlook forum on Friday, he insisted that he was 'not worried' about relations with the United States. He said he was confident in getting a meeting with President Trump, even after their scheduled meeting at the G7 in Canada was abruptly cancelled. President Trump then failed to follow up with a phone call, despite speaking with other world leaders, and no meeting has been booked in since. 'I'm not worried by someone making an understandable decision, which he did, to return to Washington,' Mr Albanese said of the cancelled meeting on Friday. 'Of course, we will have meetings. There will be a range of meetings between now and the end of the year with President Trump.'
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Israeli PM says he believes Trump can help seal truce
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he believes his discussions with US President Donald Trump will help advance talks on a Gaza Strip hostage release and ceasefire deal. Israeli negotiators taking part in ceasefire talks in Qatar have clear instructions to achieve an agreement under conditions that Israel has accepted, Netanyahu said on Sunday before boarding his flight to Washington DC. "I believe the discussion with President Trump can certainly help advance these results," he said, adding that he was determined to ensure the return of hostages held in the Gaza Strip. "There are 20 hostages that are alive, 30 dead. I am determined, we are determined, to bring them all back. And we will also be determined to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel," Netanyahu said. It will be Netanyahu's third visit to the White House since Trump returned to power nearly six months ago. Public pressure is mounting on Netanyahu to secure a permanent ceasefire and end the war, a move opposed by some hardline members of his religious-nationalist coalition. Others including Foreign Minister Gideon Saar have expressed support. A person familiar with the negotiations shared with the Associated Press a copy of the latest ceasefire proposal submitted by mediators to Hamas, and its veracity was confirmed by two other people familiar with the document. The document outlines plans for a 60-day ceasefire during which Hamas would hand over 10 living and 18 dead hostages, Israeli forces would withdraw to a buffer zone along the Gaza Strip's borders with Israel and Egypt, and significant amounts of aid would be brought in. The document says the aid would be distributed by United Nations agencies and the Palestinian Red Crescent. It does not specify what would happen to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the US organisation that has distributed food aid since May. As in previous ceasefire agreements, Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli facilities would be released in exchange for the hostages but the number is not yet agreed upon. The proposal stops short of guaranteeing a permanent end to the war - a condition demanded by Hamas - but says negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place during the 60 days. During that time, "President (Donald) Trump guarantees Israel's adherence" to halting military operations, the document says, adding that Trump "will personally announce the ceasefire agreement". The personal guarantee by Trump appeared to be an attempt to reassure Hamas that Israel would not unilaterally resume fighting as it did in March during a previous ceasefire, when talks to extend it appeared to stall. Hamas said on Friday it had responded to a US-backed Gaza Strip ceasefire proposal in a "positive spirit," a few days after Trump said Israel had agreed "to the necessary conditions to finalise" a 60-day truce. Netanyahu's office said in a statement that changes sought by Hamas to the ceasefire proposal were "not acceptable to Israel". However, his office said the delegation would still fly to Qatar to "continue efforts to secure the return of our hostages based on the Qatari proposal that Israel agreed to". Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a demand the militant group has so far refused to discuss. Netanyahu said he believed he and Trump would also build on the outcome of the 12-day air war with Iran last month and seek to further ensure that Iranian authorities never have a nuclear weapon. He said recent Middle East developments had created an opportunity to widen the circle of peace. On Saturday evening, crowds gathered at a public square in Tel Aviv near the defence ministry headquarters to call for a ceasefire deal and the return of about 50 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip. The demonstrators waved Israeli flags, chanted and carried posters with photos of the hostages. The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on October 7, 2023 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing about 1200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Gaza's health ministry says Israel's retaliatory military assault on the enclave has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians. with AP
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
US to announce several trade deals within days: Bessent
The United States is close to clinching several trade deals ahead of a July 9 deadline when higher tariffs kick in, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says, predicting several big announcements in coming days. Bessent told CNN that US President Donald Trump's administration would also send out letters to 100 smaller countries with whom the US does not have much trade, notifying them that they would face higher tariff rates first set on April 2 and then suspended until July 9. "President Trump's going to be sending letters to some of our trading partners saying that if you don't move things along, then on August 1 you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level. So I think we're going to see a lot of deals very quickly," Bessent said. Bessent denied that August 1 was a new deadline for negotiations. "We are saying this is when it's happening. If you want to speed things up, have at it. If you want to go back to the old rate, that's your choice," he told CNN. Kevin Hassett, who heads the White House National Economic Council, in an interview on CBS offered some wiggle room for countries engaged in earnest negotiations. "You know, the United States is always willing to talk to everybody about everything that's going on in the world," he said. "There are deadlines and there are things that are close, and so maybe things will push back past the deadline," Hassett said, adding that Trump would decide if that could happen. Stephen Miran, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, told ABC News that countries needed to make concessions to get lower tariff rates. "I hear good things about the talks with Europe. I hear good things about the talks with India," Miran said. "And so I would expect that a number of countries that are in the process of making those concessions ... might see their date rolled." The US Treasury chief said the administration was focused on 18 important trading partners that account for 95 per cent of the US trade deficit. But he said there had been "a lot of foot-dragging" among countries in getting closure on a trade deal. He declined to name countries that were close to a trade agreement, adding, "because I don't want to let them off the hook". Trump has repeatedly said India is close to signing a deal and expressed hope that an agreement could be reached with the European Union, while casting doubt on a deal with Japan. Thailand is aiming to reduce its $US46 billion ($A70 billion) trade surplus by 70 per cent within five years in a bid to avert steep US tariffs, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira told Bloomberg News on Sunday. The US has threatened to impose a 36 per cent levy on imports from Thailand if a reduction cannot be negotiated before July 9. Thailand is pushing for a best-case rate of 10 per cent, Pichai told Bloomberg, adding that even a range of between 10 per cent and 20 per cent would be acceptable. Pichai expects to submit the revised offer before July 9, the report said. Since taking office, the US president has set off global trade turmoil that has up-ended financial markets and sent policymakers scrambling to guard their economies, including through deals with the US and other countries. Trump on April 2 announced a 10 per cent base tariff rate and additional amounts for most countries, some ranging as high as 50 per cent. The news roiled financial markets, prompting Trump to suspend all but the 10 per cent base rate for 90 days to allow more time for negotiations to secure deals but the process has proven more challenging than expected. That period ends on July 9, although Trump early on Friday said the tariffs could be even higher - ranging up to 70 per cent - with most set to go into effect on August 1. Bessent, asked about the 70 per cent rate, referred back to the April 2 list but that did not include such high rates. The United States is close to clinching several trade deals ahead of a July 9 deadline when higher tariffs kick in, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says, predicting several big announcements in coming days. Bessent told CNN that US President Donald Trump's administration would also send out letters to 100 smaller countries with whom the US does not have much trade, notifying them that they would face higher tariff rates first set on April 2 and then suspended until July 9. "President Trump's going to be sending letters to some of our trading partners saying that if you don't move things along, then on August 1 you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level. So I think we're going to see a lot of deals very quickly," Bessent said. Bessent denied that August 1 was a new deadline for negotiations. "We are saying this is when it's happening. If you want to speed things up, have at it. If you want to go back to the old rate, that's your choice," he told CNN. Kevin Hassett, who heads the White House National Economic Council, in an interview on CBS offered some wiggle room for countries engaged in earnest negotiations. "You know, the United States is always willing to talk to everybody about everything that's going on in the world," he said. "There are deadlines and there are things that are close, and so maybe things will push back past the deadline," Hassett said, adding that Trump would decide if that could happen. Stephen Miran, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, told ABC News that countries needed to make concessions to get lower tariff rates. "I hear good things about the talks with Europe. I hear good things about the talks with India," Miran said. "And so I would expect that a number of countries that are in the process of making those concessions ... might see their date rolled." The US Treasury chief said the administration was focused on 18 important trading partners that account for 95 per cent of the US trade deficit. But he said there had been "a lot of foot-dragging" among countries in getting closure on a trade deal. He declined to name countries that were close to a trade agreement, adding, "because I don't want to let them off the hook". Trump has repeatedly said India is close to signing a deal and expressed hope that an agreement could be reached with the European Union, while casting doubt on a deal with Japan. Thailand is aiming to reduce its $US46 billion ($A70 billion) trade surplus by 70 per cent within five years in a bid to avert steep US tariffs, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira told Bloomberg News on Sunday. The US has threatened to impose a 36 per cent levy on imports from Thailand if a reduction cannot be negotiated before July 9. Thailand is pushing for a best-case rate of 10 per cent, Pichai told Bloomberg, adding that even a range of between 10 per cent and 20 per cent would be acceptable. Pichai expects to submit the revised offer before July 9, the report said. Since taking office, the US president has set off global trade turmoil that has up-ended financial markets and sent policymakers scrambling to guard their economies, including through deals with the US and other countries. Trump on April 2 announced a 10 per cent base tariff rate and additional amounts for most countries, some ranging as high as 50 per cent. The news roiled financial markets, prompting Trump to suspend all but the 10 per cent base rate for 90 days to allow more time for negotiations to secure deals but the process has proven more challenging than expected. That period ends on July 9, although Trump early on Friday said the tariffs could be even higher - ranging up to 70 per cent - with most set to go into effect on August 1. Bessent, asked about the 70 per cent rate, referred back to the April 2 list but that did not include such high rates. The United States is close to clinching several trade deals ahead of a July 9 deadline when higher tariffs kick in, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says, predicting several big announcements in coming days. Bessent told CNN that US President Donald Trump's administration would also send out letters to 100 smaller countries with whom the US does not have much trade, notifying them that they would face higher tariff rates first set on April 2 and then suspended until July 9. "President Trump's going to be sending letters to some of our trading partners saying that if you don't move things along, then on August 1 you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level. So I think we're going to see a lot of deals very quickly," Bessent said. Bessent denied that August 1 was a new deadline for negotiations. "We are saying this is when it's happening. If you want to speed things up, have at it. If you want to go back to the old rate, that's your choice," he told CNN. Kevin Hassett, who heads the White House National Economic Council, in an interview on CBS offered some wiggle room for countries engaged in earnest negotiations. "You know, the United States is always willing to talk to everybody about everything that's going on in the world," he said. "There are deadlines and there are things that are close, and so maybe things will push back past the deadline," Hassett said, adding that Trump would decide if that could happen. Stephen Miran, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, told ABC News that countries needed to make concessions to get lower tariff rates. "I hear good things about the talks with Europe. I hear good things about the talks with India," Miran said. "And so I would expect that a number of countries that are in the process of making those concessions ... might see their date rolled." The US Treasury chief said the administration was focused on 18 important trading partners that account for 95 per cent of the US trade deficit. But he said there had been "a lot of foot-dragging" among countries in getting closure on a trade deal. He declined to name countries that were close to a trade agreement, adding, "because I don't want to let them off the hook". Trump has repeatedly said India is close to signing a deal and expressed hope that an agreement could be reached with the European Union, while casting doubt on a deal with Japan. Thailand is aiming to reduce its $US46 billion ($A70 billion) trade surplus by 70 per cent within five years in a bid to avert steep US tariffs, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira told Bloomberg News on Sunday. The US has threatened to impose a 36 per cent levy on imports from Thailand if a reduction cannot be negotiated before July 9. Thailand is pushing for a best-case rate of 10 per cent, Pichai told Bloomberg, adding that even a range of between 10 per cent and 20 per cent would be acceptable. Pichai expects to submit the revised offer before July 9, the report said. Since taking office, the US president has set off global trade turmoil that has up-ended financial markets and sent policymakers scrambling to guard their economies, including through deals with the US and other countries. Trump on April 2 announced a 10 per cent base tariff rate and additional amounts for most countries, some ranging as high as 50 per cent. The news roiled financial markets, prompting Trump to suspend all but the 10 per cent base rate for 90 days to allow more time for negotiations to secure deals but the process has proven more challenging than expected. That period ends on July 9, although Trump early on Friday said the tariffs could be even higher - ranging up to 70 per cent - with most set to go into effect on August 1. Bessent, asked about the 70 per cent rate, referred back to the April 2 list but that did not include such high rates. The United States is close to clinching several trade deals ahead of a July 9 deadline when higher tariffs kick in, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says, predicting several big announcements in coming days. Bessent told CNN that US President Donald Trump's administration would also send out letters to 100 smaller countries with whom the US does not have much trade, notifying them that they would face higher tariff rates first set on April 2 and then suspended until July 9. "President Trump's going to be sending letters to some of our trading partners saying that if you don't move things along, then on August 1 you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level. So I think we're going to see a lot of deals very quickly," Bessent said. Bessent denied that August 1 was a new deadline for negotiations. "We are saying this is when it's happening. If you want to speed things up, have at it. If you want to go back to the old rate, that's your choice," he told CNN. Kevin Hassett, who heads the White House National Economic Council, in an interview on CBS offered some wiggle room for countries engaged in earnest negotiations. "You know, the United States is always willing to talk to everybody about everything that's going on in the world," he said. "There are deadlines and there are things that are close, and so maybe things will push back past the deadline," Hassett said, adding that Trump would decide if that could happen. Stephen Miran, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, told ABC News that countries needed to make concessions to get lower tariff rates. "I hear good things about the talks with Europe. I hear good things about the talks with India," Miran said. "And so I would expect that a number of countries that are in the process of making those concessions ... might see their date rolled." The US Treasury chief said the administration was focused on 18 important trading partners that account for 95 per cent of the US trade deficit. But he said there had been "a lot of foot-dragging" among countries in getting closure on a trade deal. He declined to name countries that were close to a trade agreement, adding, "because I don't want to let them off the hook". Trump has repeatedly said India is close to signing a deal and expressed hope that an agreement could be reached with the European Union, while casting doubt on a deal with Japan. Thailand is aiming to reduce its $US46 billion ($A70 billion) trade surplus by 70 per cent within five years in a bid to avert steep US tariffs, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira told Bloomberg News on Sunday. The US has threatened to impose a 36 per cent levy on imports from Thailand if a reduction cannot be negotiated before July 9. Thailand is pushing for a best-case rate of 10 per cent, Pichai told Bloomberg, adding that even a range of between 10 per cent and 20 per cent would be acceptable. Pichai expects to submit the revised offer before July 9, the report said. Since taking office, the US president has set off global trade turmoil that has up-ended financial markets and sent policymakers scrambling to guard their economies, including through deals with the US and other countries. Trump on April 2 announced a 10 per cent base tariff rate and additional amounts for most countries, some ranging as high as 50 per cent. The news roiled financial markets, prompting Trump to suspend all but the 10 per cent base rate for 90 days to allow more time for negotiations to secure deals but the process has proven more challenging than expected. That period ends on July 9, although Trump early on Friday said the tariffs could be even higher - ranging up to 70 per cent - with most set to go into effect on August 1. Bessent, asked about the 70 per cent rate, referred back to the April 2 list but that did not include such high rates.
