#Trump says he wants to hold G-7 summit after the election

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Monday said this year’s G-7 summit would be postponed until after the election and added that Russian leader Vladimir Putin could still score an invite.

During a briefing at the White House — which was dramatically halted by a non-fatal shooting outside — Trump said he was considering inviting the Russian president back after he was kicked out of the Group of Eight for his country’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

“We have invited a number of people to the meeting. I certainly would invite him to the meeting, I think he’s an important factor,” Trump said on Monday.

“We will invite certain people that aren’t in the G-7, some people have already accepted,” he added.

Trump is pushing for Russia to be brought back into the fold, calling it common sense to reopen a diplomatic dialogue with Moscow.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R. Ky) split with the president in June and opposed the idea which was floated after reports emerged that Russia allegedly secretly offered bounties to militants in Afghanistan to kill US troops.

The president on Monday said he wanted the meeting of powerful world leaders to be delayed until after the US presidential election in November, saying it would be a “calmer atmosphere.”

“We’re going to be doing it after the election,” he said.

“We were going to do it in September … I am now suggesting, I told my people yesterday, actually, why don’t we do it after the election when we have a little more time to think about it because it’s very important, the G-7 is very important,” he said.

“I think it’s a better atmosphere to have a G-7, I think its just a better calmer atmosphere to have a G-7.”

Trump floated the idea of hosting world leaders at the White House but was forced to postpone the meeting due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He previously floated extending invitations to Australia, India and South Korea.