Trump stirs backlash with comments on Russia and G7
Photo: Donald Trump, US President (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump believes that Russia should not have been excluded from the Group of Eight (G8), calling it a mistake, the American leader made this statement during a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Trump sarcastically remarked that the decision to exclude Russia from the Group of Eight (G8) was "brilliant."
"It would have been a lot better if Russia was in (the G8)," he added. "You know, a lot of people would say, ‘Oh, that's not it. Because if Russia was in, you probably wouldn't have this war.’ And if you had a different president, you wouldn't have the war either."
For reference, Russia was excluded from the G8 in June 2014 following the occupation of Crimea. A G8 summit had been planned in Sochi, but the leaders of the other seven countries (the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan) refused to attend.
Instead, they held a meeting in the G7 format in Brussels, excluding Russia from participation.
G7 leaders stated they could not continue cooperation with Russia within the G8 framework as long as it did not change its policies.
Trump’s controversial stance
US President Donald Trump had previously stated he would like to see Russia return to the G7, which would effectively mean restoring the G8 format.
He emphasized that excluding Russia from the G8 after it occupied Crimea was a "mistake."
