Putin's ready when Trump is

Putting a brave face on a failed effort by Mr. Trump to have Russia readmitted to the world’s most exclusive diplomatic club, Mr. Putin said the G-7, which ended a cantankerous summit meeting on Saturday in Canada, represented fewer people and had less economic heft than the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

[...]

The Shanghai organization, which Beijing began in 2001 as an alternative to American-dominated diplomatic groups, includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan and the nations of Central Asia.

These nations have more people, more land and, Mr. Putin said, more economic power when output is calculated by purchasing power parity, than the Group of 7, a grouping of American allies, mostly in Europe.

[...]

The Group of 7 still represents nearly half of the world’s total gross domestic product, but it has slipped behind the nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or S.C.O., when economic power is measured using a formula that adjusts for the relative value of currencies and their purchasing power.

  NYT

So, is he saying he just made a fool out of Donald Trump by pushing him to demand Russia be readmitted to the G7?

Asked in Qingdao about the G-7’s tumultuous meeting Friday and Saturday in Canada, Mr. Putin focused on the rift between Europe and the United States on tariffs, which he said “is more significant than any emotional outbursts.”

“As far as I know, the president of the United States said the U.S. is considering the possibility of regulating the additional supply of automotive equipment in the U.S. market,” he said. “This is a serious matter. This can really hurt the economic interests of so many countries, above all European, of course.”

[...]

He also said he agreed with Mr. Trump on the need for a meeting between the leaders of Russia and the United States.

“The president of the United States has repeatedly said that he considers this meeting expedient,” he said, “and I agree that this is indeed the case.”

Mr. Putin said that during his last telephone conversation with the American president, Mr. Trump “expressed his concern about the threat of a new round of the arms race.”

“I agree with him,” he said.

And I'm pretty sure he also demanded Trump step up the pressure at the G7.

He said a personal meeting with Mr. Trump would help both countries, whose relations have plunged to their lowest ebb in decades after a series of tit-for-tat sanctions and diplomatic expulsions.

“As soon as the American side is ready, this meeting will be held immediately, depending on my work schedule,” Mr. Putin said.

Reminder to Trump who is in charge.

Putin told a state TV interviewer that it was time for Trump to keep his campaign promise of promoting a friendlier relationship between the two countries. The interview was recorded on Thursday — before Trump’s call for Russia to be readmitted to the Group of Seven countries — and published on Saturday.

“A lot of things deserve to be criticized” in Trump’s actions, Putin said. “But there’s one circumstance that I’ve mentioned previously: Trump keeps the promises that he made in his campaign.”

He went on: “One of those promises was to improve Russian-American relations. I hope that this also takes place. At any rate, we are ready for this. I believe that the ball is in America’s court.”

  WaPo

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.