Tua Ngoma
JF-Expert Member
- Apr 14, 2015
- 3,102
- 8,006
US president Donald Trump called for Russia to be readmitted to the G7 as he sparred openly with America’s key allies before what threatened to be an acrimonious summit.
Leaving the White House on Friday for a curtailed visit to the G7 meetings in Canada, Mr Trump called for the group to reverse its 2014 decision to expel Russia, saying Moscow was needed at the negotiating table.
His provocative suggestion, which was quickly endorsed by Italy’s new populist prime minister, compounded tensions with allies who are already seething over America’s decision toslap tariffs on their steel and aluminium exports.
Speaking at the summit venue in the town of La Malbaie, Québec, Donald Tusk, the European Council president, did nothing to disguise the extent of the rift between the US and its key partners, as he warned that the “rules-based international order” was being challenged by the Americans, its traditional guarantor.
“We will not stop trying to convince President Trump that undermining this order makes no sense at all,” he said. “It will only play into the hands of those who seek a new post-west order, where liberal democracy and fundamental freedoms will cease to exist.”
Mr Tusk added icily that the G7 should be left as it is because seven is a “lucky number”, noting that Russian president Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, had suggested the idea of rejoining was unattractive.
On Capitol Hill in Washington, lawmakers of both parties condemned Mr Trump’s remarks. “This is weak. Putin is not our friend and he’s not the president’s buddy,” said Ben Sasse, a Republican senator from Nebraska. “He is a thug using Soviet-style aggression to wage a shadow war against America, and our leaders should act like it.”
Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, accused Mr Trump of “turning US foreign policy into an international joke”.
“We need the president to be able to distinguish between our allies and adversaries, and to treat each accordingly . . . The president’s support for inviting Russia back into the G7, just after they meddled in the election to support his campaign, will leave millions of Americans with serious questions and suspicions,” said Mr Schumer.
Russia was ejected from the G8 grouping under Mr Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama in 2014 following the country’s annexation of Crimea. Mr Putin’s reputation in G7 capitals has only sunk further since then following allegations of election interference and incidents including the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in the UK city of Salisbury this year.
Police confront anti-G7 protesters in Québec City © AFP
But Mr Trump said on Friday: “Whether you like it or not, and it may not be politically correct, we have a world to run and in the G7, which used to be the G8, they threw Russia out. They should let Russia come back in because we should have Russia at the negotiating table.”
The US president’s comments were a further sign of his willingness to upend established international norms, and coupled with the worsening divisions over trade, they prompted warnings that the G7 grouping is now facing a major crisis of direction.
Robert Hormats, a former top US official, said the grouping appeared to be getting “unglued and unhinged.” He warned: “If they can’t do something in the next 24 hours to turn it around it will severely weaken western collaboration on economic and political and security issues, and it will also weaken American leadership.”
Mr Trump coupled his comments about Russia with repeated attacks on G7 partners including Canada and the EU over their trade practices, complaining of “massive” tariffs being imposed on US products.
His statements were a response to harsh criticisms of the new US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from French president Emmanuel Macron and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, who is hosting the G7 summit.
Underscoring the ill feeling heading into the meetings in Québec, Mr Macron used Twitter on Thursday afternoon to warn the president that the US’s G7 allies were willing to isolate Mr Trump because of their disagreements. The White House later announced that Mr Trump would leave the G7 summit early and fly straight to Singapore ahead of his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
© Reuters
Mr Trump’s comments on Russia threatened to damage efforts by UK prime minister Theresa May to pull together a “unified” response by the G7 — and the wider international community — against Russia in the wake of the poisoning of former agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter on March 4.
Following that nerve agent attack, Britain persuaded more than 20 western allies to expel more than 100 Russian diplomats, in a remarkable show of solidarity.
But that joint approach has already been undermined this week after Giuseppe Conte, the new prime minister of Italy, said he believed that sanctions against Moscow — introduced after the annexation of Crimea — should be eased.
Responding to Mr Trump’s suggestion on Russia, Mr Conte tweeted: “I agree with President @realDonaldTrump: Russia should re-enter the G8. It’s in everyone’s interests”.
Source; BBC, Financial Times
Mimi mwananzengo nilijua labda Russia aliondolewa G8 sababu uchumi wake ulianguka labda,KUMBE NI KUHUSU ISHU YA CRIMEA.
Ukifuatilia binadamu wa Tanzania humu JF huwa wanasema Russia hawezi kupigana vita muda mrefu sababu ana uchumi mbovu basi mwananzengo nikajua uchumi wa Urusi ni kama wa Congo Labda.Kumbe ni ushabiki wa wananchi wenzangu humu ndani.KUMBE URUSI NI MIONGONI MWA NCHI ZENYE UCHUMI MKUBWA DUNIANI.
Pia nimeona Waziri mkuu mpya wa Italy bwana Conte anataka Urusi irudishwe G7 na Kurudisha mahusiano yake na umoja wa Ulaya.
Unafiki wa dunia ni mkubwa sana.Tusijeshangaa siku ugomvi wa Marekani na Korea Kaskazini ukiisha tukaanza kusikia KOREA KASKAZINI NI MIONGONI MWA NCHI ZENYE UCHUMI MKUBWA ASIA NA DUNIANI KWA UJUMLA BAADA YA MIAKA MITATU.
Leo tunaambiwa Korea raia wake wanakula Nyasi na hali ni mbayaaaaaa kuliko Burundi.
Leaving the White House on Friday for a curtailed visit to the G7 meetings in Canada, Mr Trump called for the group to reverse its 2014 decision to expel Russia, saying Moscow was needed at the negotiating table.
His provocative suggestion, which was quickly endorsed by Italy’s new populist prime minister, compounded tensions with allies who are already seething over America’s decision toslap tariffs on their steel and aluminium exports.
Speaking at the summit venue in the town of La Malbaie, Québec, Donald Tusk, the European Council president, did nothing to disguise the extent of the rift between the US and its key partners, as he warned that the “rules-based international order” was being challenged by the Americans, its traditional guarantor.
“We will not stop trying to convince President Trump that undermining this order makes no sense at all,” he said. “It will only play into the hands of those who seek a new post-west order, where liberal democracy and fundamental freedoms will cease to exist.”
Mr Tusk added icily that the G7 should be left as it is because seven is a “lucky number”, noting that Russian president Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, had suggested the idea of rejoining was unattractive.
On Capitol Hill in Washington, lawmakers of both parties condemned Mr Trump’s remarks. “This is weak. Putin is not our friend and he’s not the president’s buddy,” said Ben Sasse, a Republican senator from Nebraska. “He is a thug using Soviet-style aggression to wage a shadow war against America, and our leaders should act like it.”
Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, accused Mr Trump of “turning US foreign policy into an international joke”.
“We need the president to be able to distinguish between our allies and adversaries, and to treat each accordingly . . . The president’s support for inviting Russia back into the G7, just after they meddled in the election to support his campaign, will leave millions of Americans with serious questions and suspicions,” said Mr Schumer.
Russia was ejected from the G8 grouping under Mr Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama in 2014 following the country’s annexation of Crimea. Mr Putin’s reputation in G7 capitals has only sunk further since then following allegations of election interference and incidents including the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in the UK city of Salisbury this year.
Police confront anti-G7 protesters in Québec City © AFP
But Mr Trump said on Friday: “Whether you like it or not, and it may not be politically correct, we have a world to run and in the G7, which used to be the G8, they threw Russia out. They should let Russia come back in because we should have Russia at the negotiating table.”
The US president’s comments were a further sign of his willingness to upend established international norms, and coupled with the worsening divisions over trade, they prompted warnings that the G7 grouping is now facing a major crisis of direction.
Robert Hormats, a former top US official, said the grouping appeared to be getting “unglued and unhinged.” He warned: “If they can’t do something in the next 24 hours to turn it around it will severely weaken western collaboration on economic and political and security issues, and it will also weaken American leadership.”
Mr Trump coupled his comments about Russia with repeated attacks on G7 partners including Canada and the EU over their trade practices, complaining of “massive” tariffs being imposed on US products.
His statements were a response to harsh criticisms of the new US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from French president Emmanuel Macron and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, who is hosting the G7 summit.
Underscoring the ill feeling heading into the meetings in Québec, Mr Macron used Twitter on Thursday afternoon to warn the president that the US’s G7 allies were willing to isolate Mr Trump because of their disagreements. The White House later announced that Mr Trump would leave the G7 summit early and fly straight to Singapore ahead of his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
© Reuters
Mr Trump’s comments on Russia threatened to damage efforts by UK prime minister Theresa May to pull together a “unified” response by the G7 — and the wider international community — against Russia in the wake of the poisoning of former agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter on March 4.
Following that nerve agent attack, Britain persuaded more than 20 western allies to expel more than 100 Russian diplomats, in a remarkable show of solidarity.
But that joint approach has already been undermined this week after Giuseppe Conte, the new prime minister of Italy, said he believed that sanctions against Moscow — introduced after the annexation of Crimea — should be eased.
Responding to Mr Trump’s suggestion on Russia, Mr Conte tweeted: “I agree with President @realDonaldTrump: Russia should re-enter the G8. It’s in everyone’s interests”.
Source; BBC, Financial Times
Mimi mwananzengo nilijua labda Russia aliondolewa G8 sababu uchumi wake ulianguka labda,KUMBE NI KUHUSU ISHU YA CRIMEA.
Ukifuatilia binadamu wa Tanzania humu JF huwa wanasema Russia hawezi kupigana vita muda mrefu sababu ana uchumi mbovu basi mwananzengo nikajua uchumi wa Urusi ni kama wa Congo Labda.Kumbe ni ushabiki wa wananchi wenzangu humu ndani.KUMBE URUSI NI MIONGONI MWA NCHI ZENYE UCHUMI MKUBWA DUNIANI.
Pia nimeona Waziri mkuu mpya wa Italy bwana Conte anataka Urusi irudishwe G7 na Kurudisha mahusiano yake na umoja wa Ulaya.
Unafiki wa dunia ni mkubwa sana.Tusijeshangaa siku ugomvi wa Marekani na Korea Kaskazini ukiisha tukaanza kusikia KOREA KASKAZINI NI MIONGONI MWA NCHI ZENYE UCHUMI MKUBWA ASIA NA DUNIANI KWA UJUMLA BAADA YA MIAKA MITATU.
Leo tunaambiwa Korea raia wake wanakula Nyasi na hali ni mbayaaaaaa kuliko Burundi.
