Trump tells 'confidants' USA will quit Paris climate deal

German Chancellor Angela Merkel seemed bothered by what she deemed "a very hard, not to say very unsatisfactory" talk with Trump on climate change. Leaders of the G7 group of nations, which includes the Unted States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy, as well as the European Union, are meeting at Taormina from May 26-27.

President Donald Trump said that he would make a decision next week on whether the U.S. would commit to the 2015 Paris Agreement.

However, there was relief that Trump agreed to language in the final G7 communique that pledged to fight protectionism and commits to a rules-based worldwide trade system.

Trump tweeted that he would make a final decision next week on whether to withdraw from the pact.

Leaders warned the US president that he risks a stampede, as others in the 195-nation agreement use American withdrawal from the treaty to reduce their own commitments.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized Trump for not pledging his commitment to Paris climate agreement.

Issues they can work on include the "various forms" of attack that North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies face, Mattis said.

"His views are evolving, he came here to learn and get smarter", said Gary Cohn, national economic council director, when asked about the president's views on the climate agreement. Only five of NATO's 28 members meet the target: Britain, Estonia, debt-laden Greece, Poland and the United States, which spends more on defence than all the other allies combined.

Climate was among the most disputed issues separating Trump from other leaders at the two-day meeting on the Sicilian coast.

Trump will spend Saturday at the second day of the G-7 summit in Sicily, bringing to an end a nine-day trip that started in Saudi Arabia and Israel before moving on to Europe.

President Trump has told multiple people, including EPA head Scott Pruitt, that he intends to pull the USA out of the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change, according to a new Axios report based on information from three anonymous sources with direct knowledge of the conversations.

After lengthy deliberation, the document included a separate threat, that was inserted into the 2016 G7 statement, to take additional action against Russian Federation, if warranted, for its intervention in Ukraine.

Trump told Macron he is under "heavy" pressure back in the USA on the climate accord brokered by the Obama administration in 2015. And a pledge to fight protectionist was finally included in the G7 final communique.

It is a measure of the gulf that this year's Italian hosts say they expect the final statement to come in at just six pages when it is released on Saturday afternoon-down from 32 pages last year.

"We acknowledged that states share a responsibility in managing the (migration) flows, in protecting migrants and refugees, and safeguarding the most vulnerable of them", the communique read.

French President Emmanuel Macron showed a softer stand, saying talks had been "rich", and voicing hope such exchange of view may help Trump become aware of the impact of climate change on global economy and stability.

Trump, who for months has delayed a decision on the climate agreement, made his announcement at the conclusion of the G-7 summit in Taormina, Italy.