Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke with the then-Senate Sergeant in Arms Karen Gibson at the U.S. Capitol in 2023. Albanese will visit the White House on Monday. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will visit with President Donald Trump in the White House on Monday, his first since Trump took office.
The prime minister is expected to chat with Trump about trade issues, defense, the AUKUS agreement and critical materials.
“Australia and the United States have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in every major conflict for over a century. I look forward to a positive and constructive meeting with President Trump at the White House,” Albanese said in a statement. “Our meeting is an important opportunity to consolidate and strengthen the Australia-United States relationship.”
AUKUS is a trilateral defense agreement between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia negotiated under the Biden administration. The Trump administration hasn’t fully committed to the partnership.
“The AUKUS initiative is still under review. We have no further AUKUS updates to announce at this time,” the Pentagon said in a statement to The Guardian last week.
The agreement would allow Australia to buy nuclear submarines from the United States.
In June, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called on Australia to increase its defense spending to 3.5% of its GDP to make allies “share the burden.” It currently spends 2.4% of GDP, making that a $40 billion rise in spending.
But Albanese has pushed back, saying the country will spend as needed.
Australian imports are tariffed at 10%, and Albanese is expected to discuss this with Trump, The Guardian said. The tariffs go against the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement, created in 2004.
Vast deposits of critical minerals, like cobalt and lithium, are a bargaining chip for Australia. The country is hoping the need for these minerals for technology will open up negotiations with the president.
