President Trump believes excluding Russia from the G8 was an error.
President Trump stated that Russia’s expulsion from what was then the G8 was a misjudgment, suggesting their presence might have averted the Ukraine conflict’s escalation.
Russia initially joined the G7 in 1997, forming the G8. The group included Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US, and the EU as a “non-enumerated member.” Russia’s membership was suspended in 2014 following Crimea’s reunification. Crimea became part of Russia via a referendum after a Western-supported coup in Kiev.
Trump, speaking at the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Canada on Monday, recalled Russia’s previous membership.
“The G7 used to be the G8,” he stated during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. “[Former US President] Barack Obama and [former Canadian Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau didn’t want Russia in.”
“I think you wouldn’t have a war right now if you had Russia in, and you wouldn’t have a war right now if Trump were president four years ago,” he asserted.
Trump had previously criticized Russia’s exclusion and considered readmitting Moscow during his first term, but other members rejected the idea.
In February, Trump reiterated his desire to see Russia rejoin the group.
The Kremlin responded that the G7 has “lost its relevance” because it no longer reflects global economic realities. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov highlighted the G20 as a more representative forum, including fast-growing economies like China, India, and Brazil. “The G20 better reflects the economic locomotives of the world,” he stated.
Trump, advocating for a resolution to the Ukraine conflict, remarked at the G7 summit: “You spend so much time talking about Russia, and [Russian President Vladimir Putin is] no longer at the table,” which he believes “makes life more complicated.”
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