Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has butt heads with U.S. President Donald Trump over recent comments he made suggesting that Russia should be welcomed back into the G7.
“Russia should not be welcomed back into the G7,” Poilievre responded in a post to X.
“It was a Conservative government that led the charge to kick Russia out of the then G8 because of their illegal invasion of Crimea in 2014. Russia’s exclusion from the G7 is every bit as justifiable today.”
Russia had been part of what was then known as the Group of Eight until it was exiled from the coalition by the other members in 2014 over its invasion of Ukraine.
Trump made the case that Russia should have been able to regain its membership in the G8 Thursday, suggesting it may have prevented the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022.
“It’s not a question of liking Russia or not liking Russia,” said Trump. “I’d love to have them back. I think it was a mistake to throw them out.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stayed mum on this issue, nor has his office released a statement in response to Trump’s comments.
However, the U.S. president recalled “arguing” with him about the issue of Russia’s inclusion in the group in the past on Thursday.
“I said, ‘What are you doing, you guys. All you talk about is Russia and they should be sitting at the table,’” said Trump. “It’s very possible that if that was the G8, you wouldn’t have had the problem with Ukraine.”
Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland said she would not permit Russia to attend the G7 leaders’ upcoming summit this summer if she becomes prime minister.
“As long as I am Prime Minister, there will be no invitation for Russia to join the G7 table in June this year. We will not turn a blind eye to war crimes and attacks on other countries’ sovereignty,” wrote Freeland.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress said it was “pleased to see strong support to keep Russia out of the G7” and shared both Poilievre and Freeland’s comments.
“We ask other party leaders and leadership candidates to make their positions on this clear,” wrote the UCC.
However, People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier accused Poilievre of being part of the “warmongering globalist establishment” in a post to X, saying “Russia is not Canada’s enemy. You and the rest of the warmongering globalist establishment in Ottawa are.”