President Donald Trump on Friday stated that Russia should be allowed to return to the Group of Seven major economies.
Trump’s statement is expected to add more fuel to the rising tensions between Washington and it’s allies who have sought to isolate Moscow.
The President gave his comment while speaking to reporters on the South Lawn before leaving for Canada to meet be part of the G-7 summit whose main topic is the ongoing trade war that Trump started.
Trump said that he has been “Russia’s worst nightmare,” but he believes that Moscow should also be a part of the talks.
“With that being said, Russia should be in this meeting,” he said. “Why are we having a meeting without Russia being in the meeting?”
Russia was banned from the then-Group of Eight (G8) in 2014 as part of the sanctions imposed for annexing Crimea.
“Whether you like it or not, and it may not be politically correct, but we have a world to run,” Trump said.
“And in the G-7, which used be the G-8, they threw Russia out. They should let Russia come back in because we should have Russia at the negotiating table.”
The President’s remarks are expected to spark a new wave of criticism that he has been too kind toward Russia, despite the country’s hostile actions against the U.S.
Trump has regularly expressed a desire to have a closer relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and brokering deals on the country’s military intervention in Ukraine and its involvement in Syria, Reuters reported.
The President is also expected to face confrontation with the rest of the world leaders at the G-7 summit over his decision to impose steep tariffs on goods produced by U.S. allies and for pulling out of the Iran nuclear agreement.
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