The president says Putin’s presence in the group could have prevented the war in Ukraine.
CALGARY, Canada—President Donald Trump said on June 16 that throwing Russia out of the group formerly known as the Group of 8 (G8) was a mistake.
His comments came during a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the G7 summit, held in Kananaskis, in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, from June 15 to 17.
Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s presence in the group could have prevented the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“I’m not saying he should [join] at this point, because too much water’s gone over the dam, maybe, but it was a big mistake,” Trump said, criticizing former U.S. President Barack Obama.
“Obama didn’t want him. And the head of your country—the proud head of your country—didn’t want him,” Trump told Carney, referring to former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The G7 group comprises the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom—with the European Union also participating as a non-enumerated member—representing more than half of global GDP.
The group, originally known as the G8 with Russia’s inclusion, was renamed the G7 after Russia was expelled in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea in Ukraine.
This is not the first time Trump has raised this issue. In 2018, during the G7 summit in Charlevoix, Canada, he called for Russia’s readmission, a stance that created friction with other G7 leaders who opposed the idea at that time.
By Emel Akan
