KANANASKIS(ALBERTA): G7 leaders met on Monday seeking a common approach on wars in Ukraine and West Asia but before their summit formally began, US President Trump said removing Russia from the former G8 over a decade ago had been a mistake. Leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US, along with the European Union, are convening in the resort area of Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies until Tuesday.With an escalating Israel-Iran conflict, the summit is seen as a vital moment to try to restore a semblance of unity among democratic powerhouses. In an early sign they may struggle to reach agreement on key issues, a US official said Trump would not sign a draft statement calling for de-escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict. Asked about reports that Iran wants to work toward a resolution, Trump responded “yeah”, and added, “they’d like to talk, but they should have done that before.” “…I would say that Iran is not winning this war,” Trump said at the start of a meeting with Canadian PM Mark Carney. Trump then asserted that it was a “very big mistake” to remove Russia in 2014 after it annexed Crimea, a move that precipitated Russia’s wider invasion of Ukraine in 2022. “I think you wouldn’t have a war right now if you had Russia in, and you wouldn’t have a war right now if Trump were president four years ago,” he said. Asked by a reporter if China should also be added, Trump said: “It’s not a bad idea. I don’t mind that if somebody wants to see just China coming in.” Trump said it’s important for world leaders to be able to speak with one another at summits. He said, “(President) Putin doesn’t speak to anybody. He doesn’t want to talk because he was very insulted when he got thrown out of G8….”.
