G7 summit postponed by Donald Trump, says he wants to include more countries like India, Australia, South Korea and Russia

President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the G7 summit that was supposed to be held next month would be postponed to September at least. He also said that he would invite the leaders of Russia, Australia, South Korea and India.

Trump spoke to reporters on Air Force One while returning from Cape Canaveral and said that the G7 (which is a grouping of major industrialised countries like USA, UK, France, Japan, Germany, Italy, Canada which the EU also attends) was a, “very outdated group of countries.” He said, “I’m postponing it because I don’t feel that as a G7 it properly represents what’s going on in the world.” It is not clear whether he wants to expand the grouping.

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He has previously suggested adding Russia back to the group amid its global strategic importance. Alyssa Farah, White House spokeswoman said that the President wants to discuss China at the summit.

Trump has been launching attacks on China over its handling of the current pandemic. He has also ordered that the special U.S. treatment of Hong Kong to be ended in retaliation to Beijing’s implementation of its new national security law.

Trump had earlier sought to host the meeting in Washington as a sign that the country was returning to normal. He had cancelled the meeting in March but had sought to revive it.

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron backed the idea of an in-person meeting but Canadian PM, Trudeau, declined to endorse the idea. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel said she would not be able to attend.