Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles has used a rapid round of meetings in Washington this week to reassure senior US officials about Canberra’s defence-spending commitments and to pave the way for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to meet President Donald Trump. Marles held talks with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and other administration figures, promising that Australia’s military outlays would remain on track despite fiscal pressures at home, according to people familiar with the discussions. While Marles was canvassing defence and alliance issues in Washington, Albanese hosted influential Republican law-maker JD Vance in Canberra, underscoring a coordinated push to deepen ties with key members of the Trump administration and Congress ahead of an expected leaders’ meeting.