Russia’s actions in Ukraine make it not eligible for partnership in G7 – Trudeau

If Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he will directly express to him all concerns about Russia’s behaviour and actions.
Trudeau said this after the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“I have never shied away at global summits from tables around which Mr. Putin sat and contributed. I have had direct conversations with him in which I’ve reinforced Canada’s concerns around a range of Russia’s behaviours and actions — and, given an opportunity, I will repeat myself and listen to what he has to say," Trudeau said when asked whether he would attend the next G7 summit in the USA if U.S. President Donald Trump invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend.

At the same time, Trudeau emphasized that Russia still could not become a full member of the G7. “The G7 is a gathering of like-minded nations that have committed to moving forward in a positive way for the global economy and Russia’s actions both in Ukraine and in other ways have clearly made it not eligible for partnership in this group of like-minded countries,” he noted.

Trudeau added that Ukraine had been among the main topics of the foreign policy bloc of discussions at the G7 summit.

As a reminder, according to CNN, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron during a telephone conversation on August 20 agreed to return Russia to the G7 as early as next year. The governments of Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom opposed this decision. Later, according to media reports, Trump said that it was possible to invite Russia as a “guest” to the next summit, which will be held in the U.S. in 2020.