Trump claims Trudeau pressured G8 to oust Russia, blames wars
U.S. President Donald Trump accused former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of instigating Russia's removal from the G8 group, which, according to Trump, led to war. However, former Conservative Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper exerted pressure to remove Russia from the G8.
Canadian media reported on Trump's statement on Wednesday during an event related to the World Cup. Trump mentioned on Tuesday that Trudeau and former U.S. President Barack Obama "didn't like" Russia's presence in the G8.
I thought it was a very bad decision. It was headed by Trudeau, by the way, and Obama, they were the ones that really fought hard to get Russia out … and because of that maybe millions of people are dying, said Trump to the public broadcaster CBC.
This interpretation of the reasons for the invasion of Ukraine is new in the media landscape. Until now, the narrative about Russia's exclusion from the G8 in the context of Putin's military actions had not been presented even by Kremlin outlets.
Russia was excluded from the G8 group after the invasion of Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea in 2014. In its current format, the G7 includes France, Japan, Canada, Germany, the USA, the United Kingdom, and Italy. Between 1997 and 2014, the group included Russia and was then called the G8.
In 2014, Harper was Canada’s Prime Minister. During a visit to Ukraine in March 2014, Harper stated that he wanted Russia removed from the G8 precisely because of the annexation of Crimea. He also criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for violating the provisions of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which Russia guaranteed Ukraine’s territorial integrity in exchange for Ukraine surrendering its nuclear weapons.
Summit without Russia's participation
At the end of March 2014, France, Japan, Canada, Germany, the USA, the United Kingdom, and Italy organized their summit in Brussels without Russia's participation. In the adopted declaration, they confirmed their support for Ukraine, condemned Russia, and suspended the activities of the G8.
In June 2020, Trump, during his previous term, suggested inviting Russia to the fall G7 meeting. Trudeau, then the Prime Minister of Canada, publicly reminded everyone of why Russia was excluded from the G8.
