Trump to meet Australia's PM in Washington on Oct 20, White House official says

WASHINGTON/SYDNEY — US President Donald Trump will meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Oct 20 in Washington, the White House and Albanese said on Tuesday (Sept 23), setting the first meeting between the security allies since Trump's election.

The two leaders have much to discuss, including the multi-billion dollar AUKUS project, also involving Britain, to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines to counter China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific, which is currently under Pentagon review.

"Australia and the United States are great partners. I expect it to be very constructive," Albanese told reporters in New York on Tuesday, confirming the meeting.

Albanese is attending the United Nations General Assembly for the first time, where he recognised Palestinian statehood on Sunday. He will promote Australia's ban on social media for children on Wednesday, and seek support for Australia and Pacific Island nations hosting the COP31 climate summit amid resistance from Turkiye.

Reelected as leader of a centre-left Labour government in a May national election, Albanese had been criticised by domestic political opponents because he has yet to meet Trump, after a meeting scheduled on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada in June was cancelled when the president left early.

US Under Secretary of Defence Elbridge Colby, a public critic of AUKUS, is leading the Pentagon review. He said last year that submarines were a scarce, critical commodity, and US industry could not produce enough to meet American demand.

On Tuesday, a senior US State Department official said he understood the review would be completed in the autumn, and involved wide coordination between the Pentagon, the State Department and other agencies.

"Ultimately, what this is about is making sure that AUKUS benefits America and that the United States Government writ large is in full support behind it," he told reporters.

Australia, which has already paid about US$1 billion (S$1.28 billion) as part of ongoing contributions to support the expansion of American submarine shipyards, has maintained it is confident AUKUS will proceed.

Under pressure from Washington to increase defence spending, Australia this month announced an extra A$12 billion (S$10.17 billion) to upgrade a shipyard in Western Australia for AUKUS submarine maintenance.

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