Trump says ‘let Russia back in’ as he heads to G7
TO LEAVE SUMMIT EARLY Macron, Trudeau criticise US president over trade LA MALBAIE, QUEBEC:
US President Donald Trump injected fresh drama into an already tense meeting of the Group of Seven major industrialised nations Friday, calling for Russia, ousted for its the annexation of Crimea, to be reinstated.
Trump made the comment at the White House on Friday after hours of further escalating his rhetoric against longtime allies over US trade practices.
“Why are we having a meeting without Russia in the meeting?” Trump said. “They should let Russia come back in because we should have Russia at the negotiating table.”
Solidifying his solo status on the world stage, Trump also lashed out at longtime allies over their criticism of his trade policies and plans an early exit from the G-7 meeting.
Russia was ousted from the elite group in 2014 as punishment for President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea and its support for pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine.
Trump was scheduled to arrive Friday at the annual gathering, held this year at a Quebec resort, but will leave Saturday morning before the event is over, heading to Singapore for his highly anticipated summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The White House announced his travel plans after French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signalled they would use the G7 event to take a stance against new US tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
“Looking forward to straightening out unfair Trade Deals with the G-7 countries,” Trump tweeted on Friday. “If it doesn’t happen, we come out even better.”
At a joint press conference on Thursday, Macron said: “A trade war doesn’t spare anyone. It will start first of all to hurt US workers.” Trudeau said: “We are going to defend our industries and our workers.”
Trudeau, for his part, said Trump’s action would hurt American workers as well as Canadians.
“If I can get the president to actually realize that what he’s doing is counterproductive for his own goals as well, perhaps we can move forward in a smarter way,” Trudeau said.
As tempers frayed, Trump had a ready retort, via tweet: “Please tell Prime Minister Trudeau and President Macron that they are charging the US massive tariffs and create non-monetary barriers. The EU trade surplus with the U.S. is $151 Billion, and Canada keeps our farmers and others out. Look forward to seeing them tomorrow.”
With a cool reception all but assured, Trump has complained to aides about even having to attend the meeting, especially since his summit with Kim is just days away. Late Thursday, the White House announced that Trump would be leaving the G-7 late Saturday morning to head to Singapore ahead of his summit with Kim, though the G-7 meeting was scheduled to last until later that day.