US President Donald Trump on Monday said expelling Russia from the G8 was a “mistake,” suggesting the absence of Moscow complicated global diplomacy, and expressed openness to the idea of China joining the group.
US President Donald Trump has criticized the decision to remove Russia from the Group of Eight (G8), saying it may have contributed to current global tensions, and floated the possibility of inviting China to join the group of major economies.
“The G7 used to be the G8. Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn’t want to have Russia in. I would say that was a mistake — you wouldn’t have a war right now if Russia were in,” Trump said during a press briefing in Canada, referring to former US President Barack Obama and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Russia was expelled from the G8 in 2014 after its annexation of Crimea, an act widely condemned by Western governments as a breach of international law. The G8 has since reverted to being the G7, comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Trump claimed that removing Russian President Vladimir Putin from the global negotiating table only made discussions more difficult. “You spend so much time talking about Russia, and he's no longer at the table, so it makes life more complicated,” he said, adding that Putin was “very insulted” by the removal.
While Trump acknowledged that re-admitting Russia now may not be feasible — “too much water has gone over the dam,” he said — he doubled down on his view that the original decision was a strategic misstep.
In a notable shift, Trump also said he would not oppose the inclusion of China in the group. “It is not a bad idea,” he said. “I don’t mind that, if someone wants to suggest China coming in.”
Trump's comments come as world leaders grapple with growing geopolitical instability, including ongoing tensions between Russia and Western powers, and the shifting balance of global economic power involving China.
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One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a fresh attack on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
Yemen's Houthis renewed warning to airlines, airport workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the warning should be taken seriously and that the kingdom “bore responsibility for failed interceptions”, a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed 12 people.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined high school students protesting outside a school in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on Tuesday, as a wave of student demonstrations continues across France.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a newly opened defence museum displaying weapons developed under his leadership, including an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.
Southeast Asian foreign ministers are set to discuss measures to tackle transboundary haze during preparatory meetings ahead of the ASEAN summit in November, as forest and land fires in Indonesia continue to affect air quality across the region, the Philippines said on Tuesday.
Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the United Kingdom believes Iran was likely behind an alleged plot connected to RAF Fairford, a military airbase in Gloucestershire in England that has played a role in U.S. operations against Iran, escalating tensions between London and Tehran.
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