US President Donald Trump stated that it would be a mistake to reintegrate Russia into the Group of Seven (G7) at this time. Speaking during a 2026 FIFA World Cup task force meeting on May 7, Trump reiterated his long-standing position that Russia’s 2014 expulsion was a strategic misstep.
“I think now is not the right time [to bring Russia back into the G7]. No, now is the worst time. We missed that opportunity, didn’t we?” Trump remarked.
He also criticized the original decision to expel Russia from what was then the G8, describing it as “very stupid.”
Back in February, Trump floated the idea of readmitting Russia into the G7—a position he has pushed since at least June 2020. At the time, he argued it was a matter of “common sense,” although the other member nations did not support the proposal.
The G7 consists of the world’s seven largest advanced economies—excluding China—namely the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan.
Russia joined the group in 1997, transforming it into the G8, but was expelled in 2014 following its illegal annexation of Crimea.
Trump maintains that the decision to remove Russia was driven by foreign policy missteps under then-President Barack Obama. He claims Washington was weak at the time, “especially with regard to Russia.”
Responding to Trump’s comments, the Kremlin said Russia is not particularly interested in rejoining the group.
“We have repeatedly stated that the group now known as the G7 has significantly lost its relevance,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Earlier, Trump stated that Russia is not satisfied with the Ukrainian territories it has already seized during the war and seeks to take over the entire country.
When asked what Russia would have to give up as part of a peace agreement with Ukraine, Trump responded: “All of Ukraine.”
“No, no. Russia would have to give up all of Ukraine. Because what Russia wants is all of Ukraine. And if I didn’t get involved, they would be fighting right now for all of Ukraine. Russia doesn’t want the strip that they have now; Russia wants all of Ukraine,” Trump said.
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
