President Donald Trump expressed interest in bringing Russia back to the G7 Summit on his way to Canada Friday morning.
“It used to be the G8 because Russia was in it,” the president explained to reporters. “Now Russia’s not in it.”
Russia — invited to attend the G7 in 1998, changing its name to G8 — was kicked out of the G8 Summit by Obama and other world leaders in 2014 as a response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
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“Now, I love our country,” Trump said. “I have been Russia’s worst nightmare. If Hillary got in, I think Putin is probably going, man, I wish Hillary won. You see what I do.”
He continued, “But, with that being said, Russia should be in this meeting. Why are we having a meeting without Russia being in the meeting? …Whether you like it or not, and it may not be politically correct, we have a world to know.”
“They threw Russia out. They should let Russia come back in. Because we should have Russia at the negotiating table,” the president said.
Trump plans to discuss trade with the U.S. and its allies at the summit. Countries in attendance include Canada, Italy, France, Japan, Germany and the UK.