“Now, I love our country. I have been Russia’s worst nightmare … But withthat being said, Russia should be in this meeting,” Trump said Friday as he left the White House. “It may not be politically correct, but we have a world to run. … They should let Russia back in.”
Trump’s comments, made as he was departing for the annual G-7 summit in Canada, have the potential to further upend talks with other leaders here. U.S. intelligence officials believe Russia interfered in the 2016 election, and part of this year’s G-7 summit was supposed to focus on protecting democracies from foreign meddling.
Trump has sought to improve relations between the United States and Russia since taking office. The U.S. government and other nations have imposed strict sanctions on Russia related to its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, and those penalties remain in effect.
Read more: Trump calls for Russia to be reinstated to G-7, threatens allies on trade - The Washington Post
