President Trump said Thursday he would like to see Russia reinstated in the Group of Seven (G7) major economies and suggested various actors other than Moscow were to blame for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Trump fielded questions in the Oval Office on his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the situation in Ukraine as his administration pushes for negotiations to end the war there.
He pointed the finger at former President Biden and at Russia’s 2014 ouster from the Group of Eight (G8) as factors that may have led to the conflict.
“I’d like to have them back. I think it was a mistake to throw them out. Look, it’s not a question of liking Russia or not liking Russia,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about readmitting Russia to the G7. “I think Putin would love to be back.”
Trump similarly suggested in 2018 that Russia be allowed to rejoin the alliance.
Trump raised the possibility that Russia’s expulsion from the G8 in 2014 over its illegal annexation of Crimea may have been a reason Moscow launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“I think it would have been very helpful, and it still would be helpful, to have Russia be part of that mix,” Trump said. “And if they were I don’t think you would have had the problem that you have now.”
Trump also cast blame on Biden’s remarks leaving open the possibility of Ukraine joining the NATO alliance as a reason for Russia’s invasion.
“I don’t see any way that a country in Russia’s position could allow them, just in their position, could allow them to join NATO,” Trump said. “I believe that’s the reason the war started. Because Biden went out and said they could join NATO. And he shouldn’t have said that.”
Asked if he believes Putin wants peace, Trump said he did and that the Russian leader “would tell me if he didn’t.”
Russia in February 2022 launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine that Putin at the time said was in response to the expansion of the NATO alliance. He also made false claims that Ukrainian forces had been specifically targeting Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. The invasion drew international condemnation.
Trump spoke Wednesday with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as his administration pressed forward with plans to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
The president campaigned on a pledge to end the war in Ukraine, which has been raging since the initial invasion nearly three years ago. At one point, Trump suggested he would be able to end the war before he even took office.
Trump and his allies in Congress have been skeptical about ongoing U.S. support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, with the president suggesting Europe should play a more central role in backing Kyiv.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday called Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO and to return to its pre-2014 borders “unrealistic.” Critics argued Hegseth was taking potential bargaining chips for peace talks off the table prematurely.
