Trump blames Trudeau for Russia's G8 ouster amid Ukraine war
U.S. President Donald Trump accused former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of being responsible for Russia's removal from the G8 group, which, according to Trump, contributed to the war. However, former Canadian Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper led the push to remove Russia from the G8.
Canadian media reported on Trump's remarks from Wednesday during a World Cup-related event. Trump stated 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—cited public broadcaster CBC.
This explanation for the invasion of Ukraine is new to the media. Until now, the narrative about Russia's exclusion from the G8 in the context of Putin's military actions has not been presented, not even by Kremlin sources.
Russia was excluded from the G8 group following 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. From 1997 to 2014, the group included Russia and was known as the G8.
In 2014, Canada’s Prime Minister was Harper. During a visit to Ukraine in March 2014, Harper stated he wanted Russia removed from the G8 specifically because of the annexation of Crimea. He also criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for violating the terms of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which Russia guaranteed Ukraine's territorial integrity in exchange for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons.
Summit without Russia
At the end of March 2014, France, Japan, Canada, Germany, the USA, the United Kingdom, and Italy, excluding Russia, organized their own summit in Brussels. Their declaration confirmed their support for Ukraine, condemned Russia, and suspended G8 activities.
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.
