Trump Says It’s a Bad Time to Let Russia Back Into G-7

US President Donald Trump said it is not a good time to invite Russia to rejoin the Group of Seven major economies, months after saying he’d like to see the nation reinstated. 

“I think it’s not good timing now,” Trump said Tuesday during a meeting of his World Cup task force. “We missed that gate with another great decision by some people that shouldn’t have been making decisions.”

Trump’s comments came as his effort to broker a quick peace agreement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine has hit roadblocks, as President Vladimir Putin has demanded broad territorial concessions as part of any deal to end the invasion. 

The US president said on Feb. 13 that Moscow should be included in the G-7 once again, saying its expulsion could have contributed to Putin’s decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia was ousted from the group in 2014 after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine, an illegal move under international law.

“I’d love to have them back,” he told reporters at the time. “I think it was a mistake to throw them out.”

Trump reiterated his belief that G-7 membership could have discouraged Putin from invading Ukraine, saying Tuesday that “if he was sitting around the table with other people — seven people hammering him and saying, ‘let’s not do this’ — you wouldn’t probably have had the problems that you’ve had.”

Trump also suggested on multiple occasions during his first term that Russia should be allowed to come back into the G-7, which also includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK. 

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