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French President Emmanuel Macron, from left, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a family photo session during the G7 Summit, in Kananaskis, Alberta, Monday, June 16, 2025 (Photo/AP)
US President Donald Trump has reignited debate over Russia’s 2014 expulsion from the Group of Eight (G8), calling it a “big mistake” during the G7 summit in Canada. The Kremlin welcomed his comments, saying it agreed with Trump’s assessment but also dismissed the G7 as “rather useless” in the current global context.
Speaking alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the start of the G7 summit, Trump said the war in Ukraine might have been avoided if Russia had remained in the G8.
“The G7 used to be the G8,” Trump told reporters.
“You wouldn’t have that war,” Trump said as per The Guradian. “You know you have your enemy at the table. I don’t even consider, he wasn’t really an enemy at that time.”
He went on to blame former Canadian prime pinister Justin Trudeau and ex-US President Barack Obama for pushing Putin out of the bloc after Russia annexed Crimea. “Obama didn’t want him, and the head of your country didn’t want him,” he said, repeatedly naming Trudeau.
Trump said he remains skeptical about new sanctions against Russia, noting, “Sanctions cost us a lot of money. You are talking about billions and billions of dollars.” Despite pressure from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump showed no urgency to act, saying he was still waiting to see “whether a deal could be reached” with Moscow.
The Kremlin responded promptly on Tuesday. “We agree with President Trump: it was a big mistake then to exclude Russia from the G8 format,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. However, he added that the G7 now holds little relevance for Russia. “Given the declining share of the G7 countries in the global economy… the G7 looks dull and rather useless,” Peskov said.
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Russia was expelled from the G8 in 2014 over its annexation of Crimea, turning the bloc back into the G7. Trump’s comments come just ahead of his meeting with Zelenskyy, who is urging the US to back a tougher stance on Moscow.
Trump has spoken with Putin regularly, as recently as Saturday, when he said that the Russian leader had called him to wish him a “Happy Birthday” and spent more time discussing the Iranian-Israeli conflict.
English (US) ·