Harper’s harsh words for Putin,
Return ‘will just not happen’
• Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday that Russia should never be allowed back in the Group of Seven (G7) as long as Vladimir Putin is president.
Harper said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press that he expects the group won’t ever let Putin back in. He made the remarks ahead of his trip to Ukraine and the G7 meeting in Germany this week.
Harper said that even long before the Ukraine crisis Russia had eroded any basis for belonging to the group of wealthy nations. He also noted that Russia has ramped up long-range bomber patrols near North American airspace.
The G7 suspended Russia last year but hasn’t ruled out welcoming him back.
“I don’t think Russia under Vladimir Putin belongs in the G7. Period,” Harper said. “Canada would very, very strongly oppose Putin ever sitting around that table again.
“It would require consensus to bring Russia back and that consensus will just not happen.”
The prime minister said Russia is far from like-minded.
“Russia is more often than not trying deliberately to be a strategic rival, to deliberately counter the good things we’re trying to achieve in the world than for no other reason than to just counter them,” Harper said.
He said the “mindset of the guy we are dealing with is that the Cold War has never ended and, ‘I’ve got to fight to change the ending somehow.’”
“I don’t think there is any way under this leader Russia will ever change,” Harper said.
Putin received a less-thanwarm welcome from Harper last November when he approached Harper for a handshake at the G20 summit in Australia.
Harper told Putin: “I guess I’ ll shake your hand, but I have only one thing to say to you: You need to get out of Ukraine.”
Asked what Putin’s response was, Harper said Putin denied that he was in Ukraine.
“This is kind of typical Russian foreign policy to just say black is white even though everyone knows the contrary. I think as long as that’s the view that they are going to take, that they’re just going to treat us like we are all stupid, there really is no point in having a dialogue with them,” Harper said.
Harper also addressed his relations with U.S. President Barack Obama, who has angered Canada for delaying a decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.
Harper said he believes the pipeline will proceed under a different administration if rejected by Obama.