EU takes Justin Trudeau's side in G7 row with Donald Trump

Donald Trump had branded Justin Trudeau 'very dishonest' and 'weak'

The president of the European Commission has defended the Canadian prime minister against attacks by Donald Trump, who described his neighbour as “dishonest” and “weak”.

The US president hit out at Justin Trudeau at the end of a tumultuous G7 summit in Canada, which saw him accept and then renounce a joint communiqué drawn up by all the leaders.

Asked about Mr Trump’s attack on Mr Trudeau, a spokesperson for Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters in Brussels that the president stood behind the Canadian premier and that he believed he had done an “excellent” job.

“The European Union stands fully behind the G7 communiqué agreed in Charlevoix and President Juncker wishes to thank publicly Prime Minister Trudeau and his team for the excellent preparation and chairing of this challenging summit,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said sessions at the G7 had been “competently chaired” and that the EU would “continue to stand up for an international rules-based, multilateral system”.

He added: “For us, Pacta sunt servanda” – a Latin phrase meaning “deals must be respect” – an apparent reference to Mr Trump’s reneging on the leaders’ communiqué.

Mr Juncker was joined by Theresa May, who told the House of Commons on Monday that she wanted to “pay a particular tribute to Prime Minister Trudeau for his leadership and skilful chairing”.

In a series of incendiary tweets sent after the summit Mr Trump attacked “Justin’s false statements at his news conference”, branding him “very dishonest and weak”.

Responding to Mr Trump’s remarks, Mr Trudeau, a liberal who has been in office since 2015, said: “Canadians are polite and reasonable but we will also not be pushed around.”