Politico | G7 members reject Trump’s bid to bring Russia in from the cold
- No objections raised to president’s suggestion that India, South Korea and Australia also be included
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Ryan Heath on politico.com on June 1, 2020
US President Donald Trump’s pitch to reinvite Russia to the G7 got a swift thumbs-down from fellow world leaders on Monday.
The US president, who is hosting the next gathering of leaders from major industrial nations, suggested Saturday the group ought to expand to include Russia, India, Australia and South Korea. The current members include Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Canada. “I don’t feel that as a G7 it properly represents what’s going on in the world,” Trump said.
The G7 nations agreed to suspend Russia’s membership in what was then the G8 after Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine in 2014. Readmission would require unanimous support among members of the current group.
Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday. According to a readout from the White House, “the two leaders discussed progress toward convening the G7,” among other subjects.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has occasionally been an ally of Trump’s, but his spokesperson told journalists on Monday that he would veto any plan to readmit Russia.
