Trump: Excluding Russia from G7 was a big mistake

2025-06-16 22:51:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The leaders of the world's seven most industrialized countries (G7) met on Monday in Kananaskis, Canada, with the aim of finding a common language on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Participants in the meeting are leaders from the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, as well as those from the European Union.

At the start of the summit, US President Donald Trump said that Russia's departure from what was once the G8 a decade ago, after the annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula, was a mistake.

"It was a big mistake," Trump said, adding that he believed Russia would not have invaded Ukraine in 2022 if Russian President Vladimir Putin had not been ousted.

"Putin talks to me. He doesn't talk to anyone else, he's not happy. I can tell you he doesn't talk to anyone who has sidelined him, excluded him, and I agree with him," Trump said.

Trump spoke with Putin on Saturday and suggested that the Russian leader could play a mediating role between Israel and Iran.

French President Emmanuel Macron has rejected this idea, saying that Moscow cannot be a negotiator because it has launched a war against Ukraine.

European officials have said they hope to use Tuesday's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and next week's summit with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to persuade Trump to take a tougher approach toward Moscow.

"The G7 must aim to bring us together again, so that there is a ceasefire and lasting peace in Ukraine, and in my opinion, it is questionable whether President Trump is ready to push forward with tougher sanctions against Russia," Macron said.

Asked about the conflict between Israel and Iran, the US president said that Tehran has given signals that it is ready to negotiate.

"The Iranians would like to talk, but they should act sooner. They need to reach an agreement, because it's painful for both sides," he said from Canada, when asked about any signs of de-escalation from Iran.

"Iran is not winning the war, they need to talk, talk now, before it's too late," the US president said.

Israel launched its offensive against Iran on June 13, attacking Iranian targets, including nuclear facilities, killing senior military figures, nuclear scientists, and striking cities and oil and natural gas facilities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the state he leads has three goals: eliminating Iran's nuclear program, eliminating its ballistic missile production capabilities, and eliminating the axis of terrorism, referring to Iranian-backed militant groups in the Middle East.

At least 224 people have been killed in Iran as a result of Israeli attacks, according to Iranian authorities.

On the other hand, 24 people have been reported killed in Iranian counterattacks in Israel./ REL