G7 to discuss coronavirus pandemic on Thursday: White House

G7 to discuss coronavirus pandemic on Thursday: White House

President Donald Trump and other G7 leaders will discuss international coordination of the coronavirus response by video conference on Thursday, the White House said.

The remote meeting convened by Trump follows up on another virtual summit held last month and comes as the leading world economies remain under lockdown due to the pandemic.

Trump convened the meeting for "Thursday morning to coordinate national responses to the Coronavirus pandemic," White House spokesman Judd Deere said.

"Working together, the G7 is taking a whole-of-society approach to tackle the crisis across multiple areas, including health, finance, humanitarian assistance, and science and technology," Deere said.

The G7 is made up of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, which this year holds the group's presidency.

The White House has said that the traditional annual summit, due to have been staged near Washington in June, will instead also take place by video link.

On Tuesday, Trump spoke by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron on "efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic and reopen world economies," the White House said.

"The two leaders also discussed the upcoming teleconference with G7 leaders, as well as critical regional and bilateral issues.