Trump Says Removing Russia From G7 Was ‘A Mistake’

In a meeting with Group of Seven (G7) leaders held on Monday, President Donald Trump said that he believes removing Russia from the group in 2014 was a mistake. The meeting in Canada was held primarily to discuss approaches to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the recent fighting between Israel and Iran.

Trump further vouched for Russian President Vladimir Putin, arguing that he would not have invaded Ukraine in 2022 had he not been removed from the then Group of Eight eleven years prior. Trump did not insist that Putin should be reinstated immediately.

Further disagreement among G7 leaders over Russia surfaced between Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron. In a conversation between Trump and Putin on Saturday, Trump expressed that he believes Putin could serve as a mediator between Israel and Iran. Macron strongly disagreed, citing Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine as evidence of the country’s inability to act as a neutral mediator.

Referring to the goals of the G7, Macron said, “For Ukraine to get a ceasefire to lead to a robust and lasting peace, and in my view it’s a question of seeing whether President Trump is ready to put forward much tougher sanctions on Russia.” 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is scheduled to meet with the G7 on Tuesday to discuss weapons purchases from the U.S., and many European officials hope for Trump to take a firmer stance against Russia and show more support for Ukraine.

Trump appears to hold a strong affinity for Putin, saying, “Putin speaks to me. He doesn’t speak to anybody else … he’s not a happy person about it. I can tell you that he basically doesn’t even speak to the people that threw him out, and I agree with him.”