G7/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Friday [6-8-18] called for Russia to be let back into the Group of Seven industrialized nations, four years after it was expelled over its annexation of Crimea. At the White House as he departed for the G-7 summit in Quebec on Friday, the president said, ‘Russia should be in this meeting…’ The call for Russia’s re-entry added another wrinkle to a two-day gathering already rife with tension over U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum produced by its closest Western allies. Mr. Trump said he may leave ‘a little bit early,’ and criticized U.S. allies over trade policy. ‘All of these countries have been taking advantage of the U.S. on trade,’ he said, ahead of what could be the most fractious G-7 meeting in recent history. European Council President Donald Tusk said it was evident that Mr. Trump and the leaders of other G-7 countries continue to disagree on trade, climate change and the Iran nuclear deal…European leaders held a coordination meeting Friday morning ahead of the summit. Mr. Tusk said he expects Europe will be able to present a united front on major issues, including on Russia—and that a priority is convincing the U.S. to strengthen the current format of the G-7 as a guarantor of the world order.”
– Paul Vieira, Kim Mackrael and Rebecca Ballhaus, “Donald Trump Says Russia Should Be Let Back Into G-7,” The Wall Street Journal, June 8, 2018 1:42 pm