President Donald Trump started the G7 summit in Canada on a combative note by blasting the removal of Russia from the G8 as a “big mistake” and jabbing at his host’s former prime minister.
“The G7 used to be the G8. Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn’t want to have Russia in it,” the president told reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“I would say that was a mistake,” the president continued.
Russia was expelled from the G8 after it annexed Crimea in 2014, but Trump made the claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not have invaded Ukraine eight years later if he hadn’t been given the boot.
The comments come as the president has struggled to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine despite vowing to end the war on day one of his second term after Putin’s invasion in 2022.
“You spend so much time talking about Russia, and he’s no longer at the table, so it makes life more complicated, but you wouldn’t have had the war,” Trump said on Monday.
Asked by a reporter whether Putin should have a seat at the G7 in Canada, Trump said, “I’m not saying he should at this point.”
The president continued to criticize former President Barack Obama and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for not wanting Putin there and suggested that despite annexing Crimea from Ukraine, he was not an enemy.
“This was a big mistake. You wouldn’t have that war,” Trump said. “You know, you have your enemy at the table. I don’t even consider him—he wasn’t really an enemy at that time. There was no concept.”
The effort to bring the war in Ukraine to an end is expected to be one of several key topics discussed at the summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, as Trump attempts to pressure both Russia and Ukraine to reach a ceasefire agreement.
“Putin speaks to me. He doesn’t speak to anybody else. He doesn’t want to talk because he was very insulted when he got thrown out of the G8, as I would be,” Trump said.
“He was thrown out by Trudeau, who convinced one or two people with Obama. He was thrown out,” the president argued. “He’s not a happy person about it. I can tell you that.”
Trump spoke with the Russian president on Saturday ahead of the G7 this week. They discussed the war in Ukraine, but the conversation was largely focused on the Middle East. Putin also wished the president a happy birthday, according to Trump.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Canada to meet with leaders attending the summit, including holding a bilateral meeting with Trump.
While the pair has spoken by phone, it will be their first in person meeting since their brief tête-à-tête on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral in late April following their contentious Oval Office meeting in February.
While the war in Ukraine is expected to be part of discussions this week, the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel is expected to dominate the conversation in Canada.
Asked about the conflict in the Middle East, Trump said Iran would like to talk but suggested it should have done so before.
“They had 60 days, and on the 61st day, I said we don’t have a deal. They have to make a deal,” the president said. “I’d say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately before it’s too late.”
In a post on Sunday, the president wrote, “Iran and Israel should make a deal” and expressed optimism that peace would come “soon.”
In an interview with ABC News, Trump also said he was open to Putin serving as a mediator between Israel and Iran.
The post Trump Whines His BFF Putin Isn’t at World Leaders Summit appeared first on The Daily Beast.
