Russia should be readmitted into G7, Trump says

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 13 that he would "love" to see Russia readmitted into the Group of Seven (G7), calling Russia's 2014 expulsion from the group a "mistake."

"I'd love to have them back. I think it was a mistake to throw them out," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "Look, it's not a question of liking Russia or not liking Russia. It was the G8," Trump said, referring to the former name of the international forum.

Then-Group of Eight (G8) countries expelled Russia from the group in 2014 after it invaded parts of eastern Ukraine and annexed Crimea.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, G7 countries have collectively supported Ukraine with military and financial aid.

In October 2024, the G7 reached an agreement to provide Ukraine with approximately $50 billion in loans backed by the revenue from foreign Russian assets. The United States agreed to contribute the bulk of the loan with $20 billion in assistance.

Trump's comments to reporters comes a day after he held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and agreed that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine will start "immediately."

According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the two leaders spoke for 90 minutes and Putin invited Trump to Moscow.

Shortly after Trump’s call with Putin, he and President Volodymyr Zelensky had held a phone call.

Amid concerns over a lack of Ukrainian involvement in upcoming peace negotiation, when asked by reporters in the White House as to whether Ukraine would have a seat at the negotiating table, Trump replied "yes, of course."