Donald Trump has once again expressed his support for Russia’s reinstatement into the G7, claiming that the ongoing war in Ukraine could have been avoided had Moscow remained part of the group. Speaking at the opening of the G7 summit alongside Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, the former US President insisted that excluding Russia was a “big mistake”. Russia was expelled from the then-G8 in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea, a move that Trump attributed to former Canadian leader Justin Trudeau and then US President Barack Obama.
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Trump’s comments came on the eve of his scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, marking their first encounter since the funeral of Pope Francis in April. Zelenskyy is urging Trump to impose already-approved US Senate sanctions in response to Russia’s refusal to agree to a 30-day ceasefire. Trump, however, reiterated his belief that keeping Putin at the G8 table would have prevented the war, suggesting, “You know you have your enemy at the table — I didn’t even consider him an enemy at the time.”
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on fellow G7 members to tighten existing sanctions on Russia, proposing a reduction in the oil price cap from $60 to $45 per barrel. She argued that sanctions are essential to pressuring Moscow into negotiations and achieving a real ceasefire. Von der Leyen highlighted that, since the beginning of the war, Russian revenues from oil and gas have dropped by nearly 80% due to combined EU and G7 sanctions. The EU is now preparing its 18th sanctions package, with a heavy emphasis on curbing Russia’s energy profits.
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Ahead of his meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy condemned Russia’s continued attacks on energy infrastructure and accused Moscow of acting in bad faith, even as Putin offered to mediate the Iran-Israel crisis. He stated, “This war could have ended long ago if the world had responded to Russia with principle rather than appeasement.” In his talks with Carney, Trump also maintained a hard line on tariffs, defending them as a “simple” and “precise” tool, despite ongoing trade friction involving Canadian exports such as steel and aluminium.
