(CLO) US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he wants Russia to be re-admitted to the G7 group, more than a decade after Moscow was expelled from the economic and political forum over its annexation of Crimea in 2014.
“I would love to have them back,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I think it was a mistake to take them out.”
US President Donald Trump announced that he had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: GI/Sputnik
“It’s not a matter of liking or disliking Russia,” he added. “They should be at the table. I think Russian President Vladimir Putin would love to come back.”
Russia was invited to join the forum in 1997 and officially joined in 1998, forming the G8 along with the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom. The European Union has also participated in the G7 summit since 1981.
However, Russia's membership was suspended in 2014, after Russian forces invaded and annexed Crimea, a move condemned by many countries as a violation of Ukraine's sovereignty . The crisis followed the overthrow of pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in political protests in Kiev.
In January 2017, Russia announced its withdrawal from the G7, and this decision officially took effect a year later.
Near the end of his first term, Mr. Trump called for Russia’s membership in the G7, along with then-Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. However, the proposal was rejected by other members.
On Thursday, Mr Trump claimed that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had “totally agreed” with him on the issue and that “if Russia had still been a member, we probably wouldn’t be having the problems we have today”.
The next G7 summit is scheduled to take place in June at the Kananaskis resort in Alberta, Canada.
On Wednesday, Mr Trump revealed that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone call and agreed to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
The US president also suggested that he and Putin could meet face-to-face in Saudi Arabia in the near future to discuss next steps.
Cao Phong (according to The Guardian, CNN)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ong-donald-trump-muon-nga-tai-gia-nhap-g7-post334474.html
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