KANANASKIS, ALBERTA – The U.S. President made waves at the G7 summit on Monday by publicly repeating his call for Russia to be readmitted to the group of industrialized nations.
Standing alongside the Canadian Prime Minister, who is hosting the summit, the U.S. leader stated his opinion that the war in Ukraine would not have happened if Russia had not been expelled from the former G8 after its 2014 invasion of Crimea.
The remarks create a stark contrast with the position of other G7 members. The European Union, for example, is currently pushing to tighten sanctions on Russia and lower the price cap on its oil exports to further restrict Moscow’s revenues.
The U.S. President’s comments came just one day before he is scheduled to meet with the Ukrainian President on the sidelines of the summit. The division over how to handle Russia highlights the major geopolitical tensions overshadowing the leaders’ meeting in Alberta.
