Donald Trump could have started the G7 leaders’ meeting by discussing trade, the war in the Middle East, or the war in Ukraine. But he had another issue in mind: Vladimir Putin.

This is reported by The New York Times, reports Censor.NET .

“The G7 used to be the G8,” the US leader told reporters, referring to the decision to exclude Russia in 2014 after it launched aggression against Ukraine and occupied Crimea.

He then accused former President Barack Obama and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of kicking Russia out. Trump argued that including Russia in the G8 would have avoided the war in Ukraine.

He went on to accuse former President Barack Obama and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (he was wrong – it was Stephen Harper) of expelling Russia, and claimed that its inclusion in the group would have avoided a war in Ukraine, the journalists wrote.

“The scene that unfolded on Monday demonstrated how close Trump has become to the Russian autocrat since he first took office and how far he has distanced himself from American allies who have united around Ukraine,” the article notes.

A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Trump has long held this view and would share it even if he met with world leaders who held different views.

Former Trump advisor John Bolton said that the US leader’s calls to return Russia to the G8 demonstrate his ignorance of the bloc’s history.

“He never seemed to understand that Russia was expelled from the G8 for invading Ukraine. Trump also couldn’t understand that this alliance was a group of like-minded industrial democracies. He probably still doesn’t get it,” Bolton explained. Джерело: https://censor.net/ua/n3558371

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