FROM EIR DAILY ALERT
It Would Be Far More Meaningful To Have G8 with Russia Back, President Trump Insists
June 10, 2018 (EIRNS)—President Donald Trump reported after the G7 summit that bringing Russia back into the group had been discussed at the meeting, as he had urged. “We didn’t do votes or anything, but it has been discussed. Some people like the idea of bringing Russia back in,” he said in a post-summit briefing.
Trump did not specify who took what position in the discussions, but Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had made his support for Russia’s inclusion known prior to the summit, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters post-summit that “it is necessary to seek Russia’s constructive role to help resolve challenges facing the international society.”
Trump repeated that having Russia back in the G8
“would be good for the world ... good for Russia ... good for the United States. I think it would be good for all of the countries of the current G7. I think having Russia back in would be a positive thing. We’re looking for peace in the world. We’re not looking to play games.”
Even with Russia still keeping Crimea? he was pressed. Trump was adamant: “I would rather see Russia in the G8 as opposed to the G7. I would say that the G8 is a more meaningful group than the G7, absolutely.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees. Asked at a press conference with Russian journalists in Qingdao after his speech to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit how he assessed the proposal made by Trump and Conte for Russia to return to the G8 format? “Given that the purchasing power parity in the SCO is actually higher than in the G7,” Putin responded, after beginning with an invitation: let’s meet in Moscow. Russia never withdrew from the G8, he said. “Our colleagues refused to come to Russia at some point for well-known reasons. We would be happy to see everyone in Moscow, they are welcome.”
