Donald Trump began his time at the G7 summit in Canada by saying Russia should never have been kicked out of the forum – an awkward moment for host prime minister, Mark Carney.The US president used a brief media appearance to revive his years-old complaint about Vladimir Putin’s removal in the wake of the 2014 invasion of Crimea.

President Donald Trump claimed Monday that the Russia-Ukraine war could have been avoided if Moscow was still a part of the G7 forum.

Ahead of a meeting of the Group of Seven, Trump told reporters that ousting Russia from the talks in 2014 was a "very big mistake," adding that there would not be a conflict between Russia and Ukraine if President Vladimir Putin was still welcome at the summit.