G20 summit stumbles over trade and climate issues

European officials say the U.S. is hindering progress on discussions

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA— The United States has been blocking progress at the Group of 20 summit on fixing world trade rules, fighting climate change and tackling migration, according to European officials involved in the discussions. The divisions among the world’s leading economies were evident from the moment the Argentine president opened the summit Friday with a call for international co-operation to solve the planet’s problems. President Donald Trump sought to use the summit to make his own trade deals. Meanwhile, two men under heavy criticism from the West lately — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman — appeared to seek refuge in each other, bonding with a tough-guy hand grab as the leaders sat down around a huge round table for talks. Security concerns also weighed on the two-day talks in Buenos Aires. Argentina’s security minister said eight gasoline bombs were discovered in an area of the capital several miles from the summit venue where a protest in the afternoon drew thousands of demonstrators who held up banners with slogans like “Go away G-20” and “Go away Trump.”

Diplomats from the Group of 20 countries were haggling hard over a final summit statement, with deep divisions over what language to use on the Paris climate accord and the World Trade Organization.

Two European officials involved in the discussions said the U.S. was stymieing progress on both.

So an unorthodox solution emerged: Because of resistance from the Trump administration, an official in the French president’s office said the state- ment may have language that sets the U.S. apart.

For example, a draft says 19 of the participants agree on the importance of upholding the Paris climate accord, but the U.S. doesn’t.

The officials said the U.S. was also blocking any mention of migration in the final statement.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the closed-door discussions.