WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on October 20 in Washington, a White House official confirmed.
This meeting marks the first official engagement between the two leaders after a previously scheduled meeting at the G7 summit in Canada was cancelled.
Albanese was re-elected as leader of a centre-left Labor government in a national election held in May.
A key topic for discussion will be the multi-billion dollar AUKUS project involving Australia, Britain, and the United States.
The AUKUS initiative aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.
The project is currently undergoing a review by the Pentagon led by US Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby.
Colby has been a public critic of AUKUS, stating last year that submarines are a scarce commodity and US industry cannot meet American demand.
His office has indicated that the Pentagon review will be completed during the northern hemisphere autumn.
A senior US State Department official confirmed the review’s autumn completion timeline but could not specify an exact date.
The official noted the review involves wide coordination between the Pentagon, the State Department, and other government agencies.
“Ultimately, what this is about is making sure that AUKUS benefits America and that the United States Government writ large is in full support behind it,“ he told reporters.
Australia has already paid approximately $1 billion as part of ongoing contributions to support the expansion of American submarine shipyards.
The Australian government has maintained its confidence that the AUKUS project will proceed as planned.
Under pressure from Washington to increase defence spending, Australia recently announced an extra A$12 billion ($8 billion) to upgrade a shipyard in Western Australia.
This funding is specifically designated for AUKUS submarine maintenance and support operations. – Reuters
