US President Donald Trump began his participation in the G-7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, by hinting that Russia and even maybe China should be part of this organization, the Associated Press reported, BTA reported.
Trump said that the G-7 could become the G-8 and even the G-9, although in this way Russia and China, which have notoriously authoritarian governments, would be part of one organization alongside democracies.
Trump described as a big mistake that Russia was kicked out of the G-8 in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea, and so the format became the G-7 again. According to Trump, there would not be a war in Ukraine now if Russia had been allowed to be part of the G-8 and there would not have been a war if he himself had been president of the United States four years ago.
“They kicked Russia out, which I call a very big mistake. I think I wasn't even in politics at the time,“ Trump said.
He added that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is now not at the G-7 negotiating table, which makes life more complicated.
Asked by a reporter whether China should be added to the group, Trump said that it is not a bad idea and that he would have no objections if some wanted to see China in the G-7.
Trump said it is important for leaders from all over the world to be able to talk to each other at summits.
“Putin talks to me. "He doesn't talk to anyone else," Trump said. "He doesn't want to talk because he was very offended when he was kicked out of the G-8, and I would be offended, and you would be offended, and everybody would be offended," Trump added.
He made these statements after a meeting on the sidelines of the G-7 with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is hosting the summit.
After the meeting, Carney said that the G-7 is nothing without American leadership in an attempt to appease Trump on the issue of tariffs.
Trump is also expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the summit tomorrow.