Quebec City (CNN) President Donald Trump said
Friday that Russia should be reinstated to a leading group of industrialized
nations ahead of his visit to the G7 summit this weekend.
Trump's
statement is an extraordinary break from key US allies, and particularly
striking given Russia's meddling in the 2016 election. A special counsel
investigation into whether Trump campaign officials colluded with Russia is
underway, though Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations.
"Russia
should be in this meeting," Trump told reporters upon leaving the White
House for the summit, which is being held in Charlevoix, Canada. "They
should let Russia come back in, because we should have Russia at the
negotiating table."
Russia was suspended from
the group -- then known as the G8 -- in 2014 after the majority of member
countries allied against Russia's annexation of Crimea, which Russia continues
to hold.
