US President Donald Trump criticized the decision to exclude russia from the G7, calling it "very stupid". He suggested that this could be one of the reasons for the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine.
Trump said this on May 6 during a conversation with journalists, the Associated Press reports.
The American leader recalled that the next G7 summit in 2027 will be held in the United States. He recalled that russia used to be a member of this club of highly developed countries, but in 2014, after the annexation of Crimea, it was excluded.
"This is a group of people sitting at the table," Trump said. According to him, he was also "at that table", and the decision to exclude russia, which was insisted on by then-President Barack Obama, was "very stupid".
Trump did not rule out that this decision could have been one of the factors in Moscow's aggression: "Millions of people may be dying right now because of this."
When asked whether the US would support russia's return to the G7, Trump replied bluntly: "No, now is not the best time."
Recall that the G7 called russia the only obstacle to peace in Ukraine.
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