Latest news with #G-8
The Hill
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump criticizes Russia being booted from G7
President Trump on Monday began the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Canada by arguing it was a mistake to kick Russia out of the organization more a decade ago. 'The G-7 used to be the G-8. Barack Obama and a person named [former Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau didn't want to have Russia in, and I would say that was a mistake, because I think you wouldn't have a war right now if you had Russia in,' Trump said during his first meeting of the summit with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Trump has made similar comments in the past. Russia was booted from the group in 2014 for illegally annexing Crimea from Ukraine. Russia in 2022 launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Trump and his administration have pushed for an end to the war, and while Russian and Ukrainian officials have met for direct talks, there has been little progress toward a cease-fire. Trump spoke Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, one of several the two leaders have held since Trump began his second term. Trump is expected to have a meeting while in Canada with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the G-7. Trump has met Zelensky in person twice, once at the White House during a volatile bilateral meeting and another time at the Vatican. Trump on Monday also signaled an openness to inviting China to be part of the G7 moving forward. 'I wouldn't mind that,' Trump said of China's inclusion. 'If someone wants to suggest China.'
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zelenskyy: Ukraine must be included in Russia peace talks
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Thursday that his nation must be included in any peace talks with Russia, suggesting he's not happy with U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to start negotiations directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The wartime leader said Ukraine will not accept a peace deal cut behind its back. Zelenskyy added it was 'not very pleasant' to hear that Trump and Putin chatted Wednesday about a possible peace deal and plan to hold a summit. 'We cannot accept it, as an independent country, any agreements (made) without us,' Zelenskyy said as he visited a nuclear power plant in western Ukraine. Still, Zelenskyy seemed to avoid criticizing Trump directly for his call with Putin. 'He never mentioned in a conversation that Putin and Russia was a priority. We, today, trust these words. For us it is very important to preserve the support of the United States of America,' Zelenskyy said. Trump later said Ukraine would need to be a 'part of' any potential peace talks. The president also said he believes Putin is sincere when he says he wants to end the war he started three years ago, and called for Russia to be invited to rejoin the G-8 club of wealthy nations. I think he wants peace. I think he would tell me if he didn't,' Trump said. 'I trust him on this subject.' European leaders also expressed deep misgivings about Trump's plans for direct talks with Putin, fearing he will not include any of their priorities in the discussions and may put his goal for a short-term political win above longstanding geopolitical interests. Trump's call was greeted with celebration in Russia, where Kremlin supporters said it showed the new U.S. president was seeking to jettison Zelenskyy and European leaders in favor of closer ties with Putin. Trump has regularly attacked U.S. allies in Europe for not paying their fair share for their defense and has suggested the U.S. might not come to their aid if they don't pony up. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unnerved European allies by telling them Ukraine must trade land for peace and should not expect to win NATO membership. Former national security adviser John Bolton harshly criticized Trump for giving Putin the upper hand before talks on Ukraine have even begun. Bolton, a prominent geopolitical hawk, said the White House should not have openly said Ukraine would have to surrender territory and taken NATO membership for Ukraine off the table. 'Trump has effectively surrendered to Putin before the negotiations have even begun,' Bolton told CNN. _____
The Hill
13-02-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump says he wants Russia back in the G7
President Trump on Thursday said he would like to see Russia reinstated in the Group of Seven (G-7) major economies and suggested various actors other than Moscow were to blame for Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Trump fielded questions in the Oval Office on his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the situation in Ukraine as his administration pushes for negotiations to end the war there. He pointed the finger at former President Biden and at Russia's 2014 ouster from the Group of Eight (G-8) as factors that may have led to the conflict. 'I'd like to have them back. I think it was a mistake to throw them out. Look, it's not a question of liking Russia or not liking Russia,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, when asked about readmitting Russia to the G-7. 'I think Putin would love to be back.' Trump similarly suggested in 2018 that Russia be allowed to rejoin the alliance. Trump raised the possibility that Russia's expulsion from the G-8 in 2014 over its illegal annexation of Crimea may have been a reason Moscow launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 'I think it would have been very helpful, and it still would be helpful, to have Russia be part of that mix,' Trump said. 'And if they were I don't think you would have had the problem that you have now.' Trump also cast blame on Biden's remarks leaving open the possibility of Ukraine joining the NATO alliance as a reason for Russia's invasion. 'I don't see any way that a country in Russia's position could allow them, just in their position, could allow them to join NATO,' Trump said 'I believe that's the reason the war started. Because Biden went out and said they could join NATO. And he shouldn't have said that.' Asked if he believes Putin wants peace, Trump said he did and that the Russian leader 'would tell me if he didn't.' Russia in February 2022 launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine that Putin at the time said was in response to the expansion of the NATO alliance. He also made false claims that Ukrainian forces had been specifically targeting Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. The invasion drew international condemnation. Trump spoke Wednesday with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as his administration pressed forward with plans to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. The president campaigned on a pledge to end the war in Ukraine, which has been raging since Russian forces invaded the country in February 2022. At one point, he suggested he would be able to end the war before he even took office. Trump and his allies in Congress have been skeptical about ongoing U.S. support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, with the president suggesting Europe should play a more central role in backing Kyiv. Defense Secretary Pete Hgseth on Wednesday called Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO and to return to its pre-2014 borders 'unrealistic.' Critics argued Hegseth was taking potential bargaining chips for peace talks off the table prematurely.
