‘Lots going on’: Rudd weighs in after Trump, Albanese speak for fourth time

Washington: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump spoke by phone on Thursday night in what the Australian leader described as a “warm and constructive” call that canvassed economic and security interests, including the supply of critical minerals.

The call marked the fourth time the two leaders have spoken since Trump was re-elected last November, and comes ahead of a long-awaited potential meeting in person at this month’s United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, or in Washington.

According to the Australian summary of the call, Albanese and Trump discussed economic co-operation and “opportunities to work together on trade and critical minerals in the interests of both nations”.

They also discussed “the strength of our relationship and the importance of our shared security interests”.

Albanese posted on social media minutes before midnight: “Tonight I had another warm and constructive conversation with President @realDonaldTrump. We discussed our trade and economic relationship as well as areas for growth including critical minerals. We also discussed shared US-Australia security interests.”

Neither Albanese nor the official readout mentioned whether the two men discussed the AUKUS submarine agreement, which is currently under review by the US Department of Defence, nor whether they made plans to meet in person. When asked, Albanese’s office said it had no further comment.

The White House confirmed the call, but there was no readout available more than seven hours later, and no further comment from White House officials. Trump also participated in a call with European leaders on Thursday morning, US time, and was due to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Diversifying US access to critical minerals - most of which are processed in China - is a major priority for the Trump administration, and Australian officials and diplomats have been positioning Australia as the natural supplier of choice, having 36 of the 50 identified as critical by the US.

Albanese has announced a strategic reserve of critical minerals and Australia’s ambassador to the US, former prime minister Kevin Rudd, told a think tank last month that Australia could be a rare earths “superpower”.

Rudd welcomed the latest phone call between Trump and Albanese. “Lots going on in the US-Australia relationship. And going from strength to strength,” he posted on X.

The Coalition and some media commentators have criticised Albanese for failing to arrange an in-person meeting with Trump since his return to power in January, noting the US president has met with other allies including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer multiple times, and with counterparts from the Indo-Pacific including the leaders of Japan, India and, as of last week, South Korea.

They were due to meet at the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada in June, but Trump left the gathering early amid a brewing crisis in the Middle East.

Albanese and Trump are both due to attend the opening of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York later this month, though no formal meeting has been announced, and it is expected Trump will only spend a short time at the event.

The UN summit will be coloured by the decision of a number of US allies, including Australia, to recognise Palestine as a sovereign state amid the war between Israel and militant group Hamas - a move opposed by Washington. There was no indication of whether Trump and Albanese discussed the decision on their call.

On Thursday night, Albanese also participated in a separate call of members of the so-called “coalition of the willing” on Ukraine, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, Starmer and Zelensky. Trump was dialled into that meeting, according to a White House official.

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