President Trump on Sunday said “it’s possible” that he’ll invite Russia to attend the G-7 summit the US is hosting next year, even though European countries oppose allowing Russian leader Vladimir Putin to be readmitted.
”We did discuss it. We had a very good discussion on Russia and President Putin, and a lively discussion, but, really, a good one,” Trump told reporters after meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Biarritz, France, where the gathering of world leaders is taking place. ”It’s certainly possible. We’ll see.”
The president went on to say “a number of people” would like to see Russia return to the group, saying it would be a “positive.”
”I don’t know that we’ll make a decision one way or the other, but we did have a discussion about Russia last night, as to whether or not we want to invite them back,” Trump said. “Maybe we’ll just leave it the way it is.”
The group that now includes the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada used to be called the G-8 until Russia was ousted in 2014 when it illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
The head of the European Council, which represents the European Union’s member states, said Russia cannot be allowed back into the group.
“One year ago, in Canada, President Trump suggested reinviting Russia to G7, stating openly that Crimea’s annexation by Russia was partially justified. And that we should accept this fact,” Donald Tusk said on Saturday. “Under no condition can we agree with this logic.”
Trump last week called for Russia to be reinstated before he left Washington for the summit.
“Russia should be in this meeting,” Trump told reporters. “They should let Russia come back in, because we should have Russia at the negotiating table.”
The president also lobbied for Russia at the G-7 gathering in Canada last year.
