“That was a mistake”: Trump says ousting Russia from G7 led to war in Ukraine

President Donald Trump threw a wrench in global leaders’ plans to get on the same page about wars in the Middle East and Europe on Monday.

Ahead of a meeting of the Group of Seven, Trump told reporters that ousting Russia from the talks in 2014 was a “very big mistake,” adding that there would not be a conflict between Russia and Ukraine if President Vladimir Putin was still welcome at the summit. 

“The G7 used to be the G8. Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn’t want to have Russia in, and I would say that was a mistake,” Trump said. “I think you wouldn’t have a war right now if you had Russia in…Guess it didn’t work out that way.”

Trump was misremembering on several fronts. The reason for Russia’s removal was the country’s annexation of Crimea, the inciting incident of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wasn’t leading Canada at the time. This isn’t the first time that Trump has placed blame for Russia’s removal from the G7 on Trudeau and Obama. He’s also been an advocate of allowing Russia back into the fold.

“You spend so much time talking about Russia, and he’s no longer at the table,” Trump complained on Monday.

The summit includes leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. The talks are expected to focus on the current conflict between Israel and Iran. U.S. officials have shared that Trump doesn’t intend to sign a joint statement from the group calling for de-escalation of hostilities between the two countries. 

Trump spoke with Putin on Saturday and is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week.