'The G8 is a more meaningful group than the G7': Trump repeats his controversial calls for Russia to be allowed back into the international fold and says may not have 'let Putin take Crimea' like Obama did'
- President Trump reiterated his calls for Russia to be brought back into the G7 on Saturday
- It was thrown out of the international group in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea
- Trump simplified the violent conflict as 'something that happened a while ago'
- He believes Russia should be given a 'seat at the negotiating table' again
- His comments put more tension on his awkward presence at the Quebec summit
- Trump left early on Saturday, missing environmental talks, after arriving to a frosty reception
- He spent his brief time demanding free trade with Canada and talking about his looming meeting with Kim Jong-un
President Trump reiterated his controversial call for Russia to be brought back into the G7 on Saturday as he dismissed the annexation of Crimea as 'something that happened a while ago' which shouldn't now stand in the way of peace.
The president was speaking at a press conference on Charlevoix near Quebec after attending a breakfast earlier in the day with foreign leaders.
'I have not spoken to Vladimir Putin for quite a while. It has been discussed and some people quite like the idea of bringing Russia back in.
'This used to be the G8, not the G7.
President Trump said on Saturday that he thinks Russia should be allowed back into the G7
'Something happened a while ago and I think it would be an asset to have Russia back in.
'I think it would be good for Russia and I think the G8 would be better having Russia back in would be a positive thing.
'We're looking for peace in the world. We're not looking to play games,' he said.
Later, when pushed on whether or not he supported Putin taking control of the peninsula, he was vague.
'Crimea was let go during the Obama administration and Obama can say all he wants but he allowed Russia to take Crimea.
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'I may have had a much different attitude.
'Why did he do that? Why did he do that? 'That being said, it's been done a long time,' he said.
He added: 'I would rather see Russia in the G8 as opposed to the G7.
'The G8 is a more meaningful group than the G7.'
The opinion is sure to ruffle other European leaders who were unanimous in their expulsion of Russia from the group in 2014.
As Trump called for Putin to be brought back into the fold, the Russian president met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, one of Trump's political enemies
THE ANNEXATION OF CRIMEA
The Republic of Crimea is a small peninsula between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
In February 2014, Russia, under Putin's watch, took control of it from Ukraine in a violent take-over which saw Kremlin-backed troops descend on the region.
Police officers arrest a protester in Moscow, March 2, 2014, during clashes over Russia's annexation of Crimea
The majority of Crimea's 2million residents speak Russian and had voted to join Russia officially in a referendum but the vote was deemed illegal by Ukraine and by the rest of the West.
There also remained a huge portion of the population who consider themselves Ukrainian and not Russian, along with the Crimean Tatar population - a predominantly Muslim community who suffered under Russian leaders in the past.
The dispute sparked violent clashes in the area and was condemned internationally.
President Obama slammed Putin's seizure of it as 'illegitimate' and he slapped sanctions on Russia as a result.
At the time, Putin was part of the G8 but its leaders moved to expel him in response.
In a statement at the time, they said it went against the principles of the international community.
The region had been fought over for years.
From 1793 until 1954, it was part of Russia. In the 1950s, it was transferred to Ukraine by the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
During Russia's control of it, particularly in the years of Stalin's leadership, Crimean Tatars were persecuted.
Stalin believed they had worked with German occupiers and sent many of them in exile to parts of Asia.
They condemned both Putin and Ukraine - which held an illegal referendum on the status of Crimea - saying at the time that both violated international laws and ethics.
It capped off a brief stop in Quebec where he appeared isolated by other world leaders.
Despite reports of frosty relations between them, Trump insisted that his relationships with other countries were 'a 10'.
On Saturday, as the G7 met in Quebec, Putin held a summit of his own with the President of Iran, one of Trump's political enemies.
They grinned as they posed for photographs in China together as the European leaders and Trump discussed how to combat Iran's nuclear plans and support of terrorist groups.
L-R: British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, US President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Italian Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte
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