By John Irish, Jarrett Renshaw and Andreas Rinke KANANASKIS, Alberta (Reuters) -Group of Seven leaders faced early challenges during meetings in Canada on Monday as U.S. President Donald Trump said removing Russia from the former Group of Eight over a decade ago had been a mistake.

President Trump met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Alberta, ahead of its first session Monday. In their second meeting in as many months, coming amid elevated tensions caused by Trump’s tariffs on Canada and his references to the nation as the 51st U.

Donald Trump has sparked fresh controversy by claiming the Ukraine-Russia war wouldn’t have happened if Russia remained in the G-8. In a bold statement, Trump called Russia’s removal “a big mistake” and blamed former U.

G7 leaders stated they could not continue cooperation with Russia within the G8 framework as long as it did not change its policies. Trump’s controversial stance US President Donald Trump had ...