Is G7 an outdated concept? Donald Trump thinks so

[MenInG]

US President Donald Trump has said he will postpone this year's G7 summit and invite leaders of other countries to participate in the talks.

"I don't feel that... it properly represents what's going on in the world. It's a very outdated group of countries," Mr Trump said on Saturday.

The G7 group, which the US hosts this year, includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK.

The president said Russia, South Korea, Australia and India should be invited.

Speaking to reporters on board the presidential plane Air Force One, Mr Trump said that he was delaying the summit - which was scheduled to take place later in June - until September.

What is the G7 summit and what does it do?
Last week, Mr Trump said it might be possible to hold a gathering at the White House and potentially parts of Camp David, the US presidential country retreat, despite concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel later rejected the president's invitation to attend a summit in person because of the outbreak.

Her spokesman thanked Mr Trump, but said the German leader "cannot agree to her personal participation, to a journey to Washington".

On Friday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson "agreed on the importance of convening the G7 in person in the near future" following a conversation with the US president, the White House said in a statement.

The G7 - or Group of Seven - leaders were scheduled to meet by videoconference in June in response to Covid-19.

The group is made up of the seven of the world's largest economies.

It regards itself as "a community of values", with freedom and human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and prosperity and sustainable development as its key principles.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52865201

 

[Bigboii]

Australia, South Korea don't make sense tbh they're not really "powerful" both Economically or mostly millitarically too

 

[sweep_shot]

Trump has a point. There are too many groups. It can get confusing.

 

[CanadianG00se]

Australia, South Korea don't make sense tbh they're not really "powerful" both Economically or mostly millitarically too

Neither is Canada yet we are part of it. If Canada belongs to G7 then South Korea, and Australia belongs too.

 

[JaDed]

Just to name Russia he included Aus,SK,Ind in his statement?

 

[Bigboii]

Neither is Canada yet we are part of it. If Canada belongs to G7 then South Korea, and Australia belongs too.

Should kick Canada out tbh

 

[CanadianG00se]

Should kick Canada out tbh

I would so love that to happen, that way we wouldn’t have to donate millions of dollar.

 

[Firebat]

South Korea's Moon tells Trump he would accept invitation to G7 summit

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in told U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday that he would willingly accept the American leader’s invitation to join this year’s Group of Seven summit, South Korea’s presidential Blue House said in a statement.

Trump and Moon spoke by phone at the U.S. president’s request, the Blue House said.

Trump said on Saturday that he was postponing until September the G7 summit that had been scheduled for late June, and that he wanted to invite Australia, Russia, South Korea and India to the meeting.

Trump said the G7 was an old system that did not reflect the current international situation, according to the Blue House.

Moon told Trump he would welcome the inclusion of other countries and said it would be a sign of progress in the face of the global coronavirus crisis.

“If at an appropriate time, a (leaders’) meeting can take place successfully, it will be a signal that the world is returning to normal conditions and economy,” Moon said, according to the statement.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-accept-invitation-to-g7-summit-idUSKBN2382QG

 

[MenInG]

The UK and Canada have opposed Russia's return to the G7, deepening a rift over US President Donald Trump's wish for the country to rejoin.

Mr Trump said on Saturday he would postpone the G7 summit scheduled to take place this month until September.

The president said the G7's "outdated group of countries" should be expanded to include others, including Russia.

On Sunday, Mr Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin of his plan to invite him to the summit.

The White House said making "progress toward convening the G7" with Russia was among the topics the leaders discussed in a phone call.

The G7 summit, which the US hosts this year, convenes the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK to discuss matters of co-operation.

But Mr Trump's invitation to Mr Putin has drawn the ire of the UK and Canada, whose leaders said on Sunday they would not support Russia's readmission to the group.

Russia was expelled from the group - previously known as the G8 - in 2014 in response to its annexation of Crimea.

"Russia was excluded from the G7 after it invaded Crimea a number of years ago, and its continued disrespect and flaunting of international rules and norms is why it remains outside of the G7, and it will continue to remain out," Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a news conference.

Earlier, a spokesman for the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would veto any proposal to allow Russia to rejoin the group.

Unless Russia ceases its "aggressive and destabilising activity", the UK would not support the country's readmission to the group, Mr Johnson's spokesman said.

"Russia was removed from the G7 group of nations following its [2014] annexation of Crimea and we are yet to see evidence of changed behaviour which would justify its readmittance," the spokesman told reporters.

Neither the UK or Canadian position rules out Mr Putin's attendance of the summit in the US.

Though representatives of non-G7 members have attended the group's summits before, Mr Putin's presence could prove contentious.

In recent years, the UK has had an acrimonious relationship with Russia, which it blamed for a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Salisbury, England in 2018.

G7 will act over Russia's 'malign activity', UK says
Despite opposition from other G7 members, Mr Trump has repeatedly expressed his support for Russia's return to the group.

At a G7 summit in 2018, Mr Trump said he thought it "would be an asset to have Russia back in".

Announcing the delay of this year's G7 summit on Saturday, Mr Trump echoed that sentiment.

He said he did not feel the group "properly represents what's going on in the world", suggesting Russia, South Korea, Australia and India should be invited.

The leaders of South Korea and Australia have expressed interest in attending the summit in the US.

Last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected the president's invitation to attend a summit in person because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The G7 (or Group of Seven) is an organisation made up of the world's seven largest so-called advanced economies.

The leaders of these countries meet annually at summits to discuss issues of global governance, including climate change, security and the economy.

The group regards itself as "a community of values", with freedom and human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and prosperity and sustainable development as its key principles.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52885178

 

[Rajdeep]

Trump invited Modi in G7 summit in US

https://m.timesofindia.com/india/trump-invites-pm-modi-to-attend-g7-summit-in-us/amp_articleshow/76161557.cms

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Had a warm and productive conversation with my friend President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>. We discussed his plans for the US Presidency of G-7, the COVID-19 pandemic, and many other issues.</p>— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1267845876703129601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Bigboii]

Just to name Russia he included Aus,SK,Ind in his statement?

Them rubels still be workin tho

Wow he is still loyal

 

[MenInG]

G7 finance ministers to discuss virus fallout

The finance ministers of the G7 countries will hold a phone conference on Wednesday evening to discuss the economic impact the pandemic will have and how to combat that.

An actual G7 summit has recently been postponed. US President Donald Trump had invited leaders to Washington for a meeting in June but the summit was called off after some leaders said they would not attend in person due to the ongoing crisis.

The summit is now thought to be moved to an unspecified future date and Trump has suggested adding Russia, South Korea, Australia and India to the list of countries invited.

 

[Abdullah719]

Trump invites India's Modi to attend G7 summit in US

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted an invitation from US President Donald Trump to attend the next Group of Seven (G7) summit, India's foreign ministry officials said on Wednesday.

In a telephone call with Modi on Tuesday evening, Trump spoke about the US presidency of G7 and conveyed his desire to expand the ambit of the grouping beyond the existing membership to include other important countries, including India.

Spoiler

"In this context, he [Trump] extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to attend the next G7 Summit to be held in USA," the foreign ministry said.

Ministry officials confirmed that Modi had accepted the invitation and would attend the summit.

In a statement late on Tuesday night, Modi's office said he commended Trump for his "creative and far-sighted approach, acknowledging the fact that such an expanded forum would be in keeping with the emerging realities of the post-Covid world".

"The prime minister said that India would be happy to work with the US and other countries to ensure the success of the proposed summit," it said.

'Outdated group of countries'
On Sunday, Trump said he was postponing until September the G7 summit that had been scheduled for late June at Camp David, the US president's country retreat.

Trump also proposed an expansion of the grouping and said he wanted to invite India, Australia, South Korea and Russia to the meeting.

"I don't feel that as G7, it properly represents what's going on in the world. It's a very outdated group of countries," he said, conveying his desire to expand participation in the summit beyond the G7 members.

During their telephone conversation, the two leaders also exchanged views on the COVID-19 pandemic in their countries, India-China tensions over a recent border standoff, and a need for reforms in the World Health Organization (WHO), the Indian foreign ministry said.

A White House statement also said Trump and Modi discussed the G7 meeting, the response to the coronavirus pandemic and regional security issues.

Trump told Modi the US would ship the first tranche of 100 donated ventilators to India next week, the White House said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a senior congressional leader have reprimanded China for bullying behaviour towards India during a military standoff on their disputed border.

During the call, Trump recalled his visit to India in February. Modi said the historic visit had added new dynamism to the bilateral relationship.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...ia-modi-attend-g7-summit-200603073013954.html