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.

U.S. President Donald Trump was unaware of a deadly Russian drone and missile strike on Kyiv that killed at least 15 people and injured over 120, when asked about the attack by reporters on June 17. On board Air Force One as he flew back from Canada,

There were some awkward moments during their Oval Office meeting in May, when Carney pushed back on Trump’s remarks about making Canada the 51st US state. But in Canada, the PM was praised for how he handled that high-stakes meeting.

By David Ljunggren, John Irish and Jarrett Renshaw KANANASKIS, Alberta (Reuters) -Group of Seven leaders met on Monday seeking a common approach on wars in Ukraine and the Middle East but before their summit formally began,

The G7 used to be the G8,” U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters in Kananaskis, Alberta, where Canada is currently hosting a meeting of G7 leaders. “Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn’t want to have Russia in.

Trump criticized former President Obama and former PM Trudeau for Russia's G8 removal, claiming it was a "very big mistake" that would have prevented further war.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump was right to assert that it had been a big mistake to expel Russia from the Group of Eight in 2014, but that the G7 was no longer significant for Russia and looked "rather useless" now.

President Trump, in a bilateral meeting with Canadian PM Mark Carney for the G7 summit, called it a "mistake" for Russia to have been removed from the G8 in 2014 for annexing Crimea.

Trump renewed criticism of the G-7′s decision to kick out Russia. A watchdog found Trump violated the Impoundment Act. A virus expert at the CDC resigned in protest of leadership.