President Trump said on Monday that he would invite Russia to attend the Group of Seven summit in the U.S. next year. The controversial overture, if given, would return the coalition of the world's largest economies to the erstwhile Group of Eight.
"Having them inside the room is better than having them outside the room," Trump said during a press conference Monday at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France. "I really think it is good for the security of the world. It is good for the economics of the world."
Russia was suspended from the group in March 2014 following its annexation of Crimea, which the other world powers said was an illegal violation of Ukrainian sovereignty. "This Group came together because of shared beliefs and shared responsibilities. Russia's actions in recent weeks are not consistent with them," the coalition said in a communique detailing the decision at the time.
Yet on Monday, Trump dismissed questions of Russia's occupation and takeover of the Black Sea peninsula, instead assailing former President Obama for allowing the international crisis to unfold under his watch.
"Obama was pure and simply outsmarted. They took Crimea during his term," Trump said. "That was not a good thing."
Despite the support from Trump, Russia reiterated Monday that returning to the G8 framework was not a priority. "We have not asked anyone about any of this … We have not made and will not make any requests regarding this," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Moscow. "Life has moved on."
The Kremlin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, also said that "Russia has never rejected any cooperation formats. But it is not going to foist itself on anyone," according to state media.
Yet Trump stressed that reforming the G8 with Russia would be beneficial for all parties involved — an argument he also articulated at last year's G7 summit in Canada. The position was supported by the outgoing Italian prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, but has continuously been rejected by the other western allies.
"My inclination is to say yes," Trump said Monday alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel regarding inviting Russia to the U.S. summit next year. "There are people that agree with me 100 percent, but there are some that don't."
Merkel said she would first like to see progress made in smoothing relations between Ukraine and Russia. "It is a big problem, and we have enough problems in the world as it is," she said.
The former U.S. ambassador to Russia in 2014, Michael McFaul, denounced Trump's position, saying on Twitter that "Putin is still occupying Ukrainian territory. Therefore, premature to invite Putin back. It's that simple."
Since the 2016 campaign, Trump has been widely condemned by critics for his unwillingness to criticize — and eagerness to defend — Russia and President Putin, despite affronts such as Russian interference in U.S. elections.
"I don't care, politically" Trump said regarding the optics of inviting Russia to the G7 summit next year, which the president said he wanted to hold at his Miami resort.
Last week, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the nation's highest ranking Democrat, slammed Trump for trying to bring Russia back into the G7 while the country continues to attack the U.S. electoral system. "Why does President Trump choose to reward Putin instead of defending the integrity of American elections?" she said on Twitter.
