BRUSSELS — President Donald Trump's vague stances on climate and trade have frustrated U.S. allies just days before a major international summit in Italy, senior French and Italian officials said.

Officials from the G-7 countries meeting later this week are crafting the formal statement they’ll issue from the gathering, as is typically done ahead of such staid, prepackaged summits of world leaders. The French are leaning on Trump to clarify whether he wants to pull out of the Paris climate agreement, and Italy hopes he will agree to accept more migrants fleeing war in the Middle East or contribute funds to help Europe deal with the flood of people.


U.S. officials, however, have so far submitted broad points that fail to nail down positions on issues the leaders will discuss Friday and Saturday in Taormina, Italy, according to four foreign officials and one U.S. official reached by POLITICO.

"We haven’t exactly seen the same situation before," said Pierre Vimont, a former French ambassador to the United States who said he had spoken to people involved in the G-7 negotiations. “It’s been difficult to find an agreement with the Americans.”

The discord could cause drama during Trump’s first foreign trip as president, which has so far gone smoothly. The president hasn’t made up his mind on key policies, and he has a habit of switching stances, leaving overseas allies guessing which way Trump will lean on major decisions that could affect domestic politics in their own countries.

As a presidential candidate, Trump said NATO was obsolete and that China manipulated its currency. Since taking office, he has reversed himself on both. Leaders attending the summit hope they can similarly sway him during the upcoming meetings to remain in a major climate pact and support trade negotiations with the European Union.

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Trump’s indecision could be a negotiating tactic designed to see what foreign leaders will offer him. A White House official who has seen the United States' key points said the U.S. so far has agreed to include only general language in the G-7 communiqué — the formal statement out of the gathering that signals the agreements reached or commitments made by participants — such as “promote economic prosperity and global growth.”

"He will address unfair trade practices and other global issues, such as the role of innovation in the economy, women's equality, and food security," the official said.

But these broad strokes aren't satisfying allies who want Trump, who has not named ambassadors to countries involved, to clear up the confusion.

"Trade and climate are holding up the communiqué," said a senior French official.

Trump has long made clear that he prefers bilateral trade deals over multilateral deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement, but the European Union trades as a bloc and does not allow members like France, Italy and Germany to reach bilateral agreements.

Negotiations on an EU-U.S. trade deal known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership have stalled since Trump’s election.

On the Paris climate agreement, a 2015 deal to tackle global warming, Trump has said he wants to give the leaders a chance to make their case to him in person. But a White House official familiar with conversations about the deal said Trump has indicated he’s leaning toward backing out.

For domestic political reasons, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni would like a commitment from the U.S. to take more migrants or provide financial support to Italy, which will likely see a surge of migrants with the change of seasons. A senior Italian diplomat said they realize the request is unlikely to be granted.

Italian officials hope that they will get clearer signals from Trump after his meeting on Wednesday with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Italian foreign minister Angelino Alfano, though that conversation will last only about 40 minutes with translation, a senior Italian diplomat said.

There are also expected to be precise commitments on fighting terrorism as well as on the Syrian crisis, according to a French official with knowledge of the negotiations.

It’s still unclear how the disputes will be resolved, but Trump has shown a willingness to go in new directions, said Vimont, the former French ambassador.

"This new U.S. administration has been much more ready to change drastically what the previous administration was doing," said Vimont. "This is why it makes the whole process of drafting a communiqué more difficult than before."