U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that the war in Ukraine likely would not have happened if the West had not expelled Russia from the Group of Eight, arguing that Moscow\u2019s exclusion from the format was one of the decisions that fundamentally altered Europe\u2019s long-term security architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an interview with the news portal Axios, Trump said that former U.S. President Barack Obama, along with \u201cone or two other countries,\u201d did not want Russian President Vladimir Putin to remain part of the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey wanted Putin out. It used to be the G8. It would have been much better if it had stayed that way. You probably wouldn\u2019t have had the Russia-Ukraine war,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking after the G7 summit, Trump expressed regret that Putin was not present at the gathering of the world\u2019s leading Western economies, noting that Russia had been a member of the format until it was expelled following the annexation of Crimea in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the Axios interview extended far beyond the topic of Ukraine. Trump discussed presidential power, the war with Iran, relations with Israel, U.S. allies, and his own place in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The American president said that after the conflict with Iran, he realized that \u201cthere are no limits\u201d to his power. He repeatedly referred to power through the lens of influence over other world leaders, claiming that participants at the G7 summit believed him when he jokingly told them that \u201che was the boss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump also stated that Israel \u201crespects him greatly\u201d and that the country \u201cwill do what he says.\u201d Speaking about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said they have a good relationship but added that Netanyahu \u201csometimes needs to be kept under control.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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