Trump: Obama allowed the annexation of Crimea

US President Donald Trump assigned responsibility for the annexation of Crimea to his predecessor Barack Obama. “Ask Obama, because it was he who allowed the Crimea to pick up,” CNN quotes Trump’s answer to the journalist’s question. “I may have had a completely different position,” Trump added.

The US President again stated that Russia should be accepted in the "large eight". "I would say that the G8 is a more meaningful group than the G7, I am convinced of this," Trump said in Canada in Canada. "The return of Russia (in G8. - Ed.) Would be a great help," the US president believes. According to him, this would benefit the whole world, Russia itself, as well as the USA and all other G7 members. “I think it would be better to“ eight, ”Trump concluded.

Other G7 members did not agree with the US President. According to the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the return of Russia to the "eight" is not considered even in the long term. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in turn, stated that all G7 members agree that Russia cannot return to the club of developed states in the absence of significant progress on the Ukrainian problem. On the eve of the Canadian summit, the Chancellor recalled that participation in this club involves compliance with international law. "The annexation of Crimea was an egregious violation of international law, so the exclusion of Russia from the G8 format was inevitable," Merkel emphasized.

On the eve of negotiations in Quebec, Trump spoke for the return of Russia to the Eight. “We must let Russia go back, because we need it at the negotiating table,” the US President said.

His initiative was supported by the new Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte. “Russia should return to the G8. This is in the interests of all sides,” he wrote on Twitter.

Press Secretary of Vladimir Putin Dmitry Peskov, commenting on Trump's statement, noted that Russia is now "focusing on other formats."

Russia was excluded from the "Big Eight" in March 2014 in response to the annexation of Crimea. In Moscow, they then stated that they do not consider participation in the G8, since the “large twenty” format is more promising.