U.S. President Donald Trump used a press conference with G7 chair Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to air Russia's grievances about being kicked out of what was then the G8 over the annexation of Crimea.
Carney had just publicly welcomed Trump to the summit when the president launched into his claim that there would never have been a full-scale invasion of Ukraine had he been president.
"The G7 used to be the G8," Trump began before attacking former Canadian Prime Minister Jusin Trudeau in a rambling statement.
" Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn't want to have Russia in. And I would say that that was a mistake, because I think you wouldn't have a war right now if you had Russia in, and you wouldn't have a war right now if Trump were president four years ago.
"But it didn't work out that way. But it used to be the G8, and now it's, I guess, what's that? Nine years ago, eight years ago, it switched over. They threw Russia out, which I claimed was a very big mistake, even though I wasn't in politics. And I was very loud about it. It was a mistake in that you spent so much time talking about Russia, and he's no longer at the table, so it makes life more complicated. But you wouldn't have had the war. And other than that, I think we're going to accomplish a lot."
After asking about trade with Canada and whether the U.S. would get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict, a reporter steered Trump back to the topic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump added that he wasn't saying Russia should be let back in to the global policy summit because "too much water has gone over the dam, maybe."
Trump then mocked Trudeau again, saying, "the head of your country, the proud head of your country, didn't want [Putin]."
After another question about Israel, Trump claimed that Putin now talks only to him.
"Putin speaks to me; he doesn't speak to anybody else. He doesn't want to talk because he was very insulted when he got thrown out of the G8, as I would be, as you would be, as anybody would be. He was very insulted.
"And, I mean, he was thrown out by Trudeau, who convinced one or two people along with Obama. He was thrown out. And he's not a happy person about it, I can tell you that. He basically doesn't even speak to the people that threw him out. And I agree with him."
