Putin ready to host G7 in Moscow

Russia did not choose to leave the G7 and would be happy to host its members in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said yesterday when asked about US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Russia should have been at its latest meeting. Trump said on Friday that Russia should have attended a Group of Seven summit in Canada over the weekend, an idea that even Moscow seemed to reject saying it was focused on other formats. Russia was pushed out of the then G8 due to its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea four years ago. “We did not [choose to] leave it, our colleagues refused to come to Russia due to known reasons at some point. Please, we will be glad to see everyone here in Moscow,” Putin told reporters at a briefing in China’s city of Qingdao.