Australian news and politics recap: NATO boss Mark Rutte says Donald Trump is ‘totally committed’ to alliance

Amy Lee
The Nightly
US President Donald Trump and Mark Rutte during a dinner which marks the start of the NATO-Summit in The Hague.
US President Donald Trump and Mark Rutte during a dinner which marks the start of the NATO-Summit in The Hague. Credit: DPPA/POOL/Remko de Waal/DPPA/Sipa USA

Scroll down for the latest news and updates.

Amy Lee

‘Lots of volatility, unpredictability, uncertainty in the global economy’: Chalmers

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the global economy is in a “dangerous” place as a result of what is currently unfolding in the Middle East and eastern Europe.

“There’s a lot of volatility, unpredictability, and uncertainty in the global economy,” Mr Chalmers told ABC News Breakfast.

Mr Chalmers says this can be attributed to escalating trade tensions and risks to global demand from the US Administration’s tariff announcements

He assured that Australia is well-placed to deal with the turbulent economic situation, but indicated “we’re not immune from it either.”

“That’s why it’s so important we make our economy more resilient in the face of all this global economy uncertainty, more productive, more sustainable.”

Amy Lee

Chalmers says Trump’s blunt language reflects the enormity of the Middle East situation

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has weighed in on US President Donald Trump’s mounting frustration towards Israel and Iran as the two countries violated a ceasefire agreement.

“I think it reflects the gravity, the enormity of the situation in the Middle East, and just how important it is that both sides stick to this ceasefire, which has been negotiated,” Mr Chalmers told ABC News Breakfast when asked if he agreed with the comments Mr Trump made before travelling to the NATO summit.

Mr Trump told a field of reporters at the White House that Israel and Iran “don’t know what the f*** they’re doing” following reports of missiles being struck after the ceasefire began.

“The stakes are very high in the Middle East. The consequences of this ceasefire falling over are pretty grave. And I think the President’s blunt language reflects that,” Mr Chalmers said.

Amy Lee

Over 100 Australians have been safely evacuated from Israel

More than 100 Australians and their family members have been safely evacuated from Israel on a special Australian Defence Force (ADF) flight, as the Government ramps up efforts to bring home citizens stranded by the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

The ADF’s assisted departure from Tel Aviv carried 119 Australians, marking a significant milestone in ongoing evacuation operations.

The evacuation comes after days of uncertainty for Australians in the region, with airspace closures and the suspension of commercial flights leaving thousands of foreign nationals, including Australians, unable to leave Israel and Iran.

Read the full story here.

Amy Lee

‘We want to see de-escalation’: Marles

Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles says Australia is “very much” calling on Iran to stick to the ceasefire.

“What we want to see now is de-escalation. Our concern throughout this has been the potential for escalation, and where this might ultimately lead,” he said, following reports of Iran launching missiles at Israel after US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire announcement.

When asked whether Australia would always back the United States’ use of force, Mr Marles said: “What we’ve done in this instance and what we do in every instance is to speak in accordance with what is Australia’s national interest.”

“It’s not in Australia’s national interest to see Iran acquire a nuclear weapon.”

Amy Lee

Marles downplays chance of Trump meeting at NATO summit

The Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles, has arrived in The Hague to attend the NATO summit.

Mr Marles is representing Australia after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese decided against attending, despite the possibility of a rescheduled meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Mr Marles said he wouldn’t want to “overstate” the chance of him meeting with Mr Trump.

“Look, I wouldn’t want to overstate that. There’s a lot of people at the NATO summit. There’s a lot of people in the rooms that we’ll all be in. And in gatherings such as this, the meetings that you have end up being pretty fluid,” Mr Marles told the ABC.

Mr Albanese’s planned meeting with Mr Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit was scrapped after the US President had to return to America amid escalating conflict in the Middle East.

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