The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that he would "gladly" welcome Russia back into the G7. He made this remark while speaking to reporters at the White House.
He added that the decision to exclude Russia from the G7 was a mistake.
"This is not a matter of liking or disliking Russia. At one time it was the G8, and I asked, 'What are you doing? You keep talking about Russia, so why is it not at the table? I am sure Russia would like to return. Obama and a few others made a mistake by excluding it. It's quite possible that if the G8 had remained, there would not have been a crisis in Ukraine. And if I were president, Russia would never have attacked Ukraine," Trump stated.
The President noted that the G8 became the G7 because of these decisions.
"I argued with Trudeau and a few others, but Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a great guy, completely agreed with me, as did some others. But at that point, the G8 no longer existed. I still believe that bringing Russia back into this format would be very beneficial," the American leader added.
When asked if Ukraine would have a seat at the negotiating table, Trump replied, "Yes, of course."
Trump did not ask U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to retract his comments regarding Ukraine. According to Trump, Hegseth's remarks yesterday were quite accurate.
It is worth noting that the G7, "Group of Seven," or "Big Seven," is a coalition of countries that includes the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan. Russia joined this informal group in 1997, after which it was known as the G8. The member countries began meeting again without Russia in 2014 following the illegal annexation of Crimea.
Ukraine's NATO Membership - Trump's Team's Position
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth softened his remarks made the day before about Ukraine's NATO membership being an unrealistic scenario. At a press conference, he stated that "all options remain on the table" during negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
"I want to clarify one point regarding the statement that Ukraine's NATO membership is not a realistic outcome of the negotiations. This was said in the context of my comments and in coordination with how we are conducting the ongoing negotiations led by President Trump," Hegseth stated.