SYDNEY — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he will meet with President Donald Trump in October, just months after a sit-down between the two on the sidelines of a Group of Seven meeting in Canada was canceled due to Israel’s conflict with Iran.

Albanese has come under political pressure over his failure to secure a face-to-face meeting with Australia’s key ally almost nine months after Trump’s return to the White House. The prime minister has previously played down the issue before making an announcement at a press conference.

“President Trump agreed to a meeting some time ago, we had another chat about it on the phone and we’ll have a meeting in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 20,” Albanese told reporters in New York on Tuesday.

Albanese explained the delay in getting together was because the president’s agenda this week was full as leaders from across the world converge for the United Nations General Assembly. The prime minister pointed out that Trump is only in New York for one day and is focused on the Middle East peace process with a meeting of nations, including Saudi Arabia, ahead of talks with Israel’s leader.

There’s been speculation in Australia that Trump will be critical of the prime minister given the traditional allies are divided on issues ranging from defense spending to recognition of a Palestinian state and climate change.

Reinforcing that concern, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio that the government in Canberra has made “a very serious mistake” in recognizing a Palestinian state.

Huckabee said it has led to U.S.-Australia relations reaching a “point of stress,” while adding that he was sure the two nations would “continue to work together on the things with which we agree,” according to the report.

Albanese rejected suggestions he would struggle to find common cause with the president.

“We have a good relationship,” he said, referring to previous conversations with Trump by phone. “We’ve had respectful calls. Australia and the United States are great partners. I expect it to be very constructive.”

In June, Trump abruptly canceled his meeting with Albanese while the latter was holding a news conference outlining the issues he intended to discuss with the president. The U.S. leader unexpectedly left the G-7 gathering to focus on the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Given the importance of dealing directly with Trump in order to obtain decisions, having a sit-down will be important for Australia, particularly in terms of security issues such as the Aukus security pact.

The Aukus defense agreement that the U.S. signed with Australia and the UK in 2021 is designed to counter China’s military expansion in the Indo-Pacific region. Central to the agreement is a project — expected to cost hundreds of billions of dollars — to help Australia develop a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines over a 30-year period.

The U.S. is currently reviewing the deal, raising concerns about the possibility of it quitting, a prospect officials from Australia and the UK have played down.

The Trump administration also wants Australia to boost defense spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product from around 2% now so it can contribute more to helping ensure security in the Asia-Pacific.

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