G7 should be G8

US President Donald Trump expressed support Tuesday for Russia's return to the G8, saying it would be "much more appropriate" for Moscow to be in the club of world powers.

"I could certainly" support that, he told reporters at the White House, just days before a G7 summit -- minus Russia -- in Biarritz, France.

"It's much more appropriate to have Russia in. It should be the G8, because a lot of the things we talk about have to do with Russia," he said.

Russia was kicked out of the old G8 format after the 2014 invasion and annexation of Crimea, in Ukraine. Putin has also been accused of orchestrating murders of opponents in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, as well as attempting to manipulate the 2016 US election that saw Trump win a surprise victory.

But Trump said the reason Russia was kicked out was because his predecessor Barack Obama was "outsmarted" by Putin. "I guess President Obama, because Putin outsmarted him, President Obama thought it wasn't a good thing to have Russia in. So he wanted Russia out," Trump said.

"So I could certainly see it being the G8 again and if someone would make that motion, I would be disposed to think about it very favorably," he said.

G7 consists of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.At the G7 in Quebec last year, Trump exploded proceedings and left in a fury, engaging in personal insults over trade with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and refusing to sign the collective final statement. The French hosts hope they can better manage Trump this time. In particular, a French diplomat told reporters, the traditional importance of the final communique will be de-emphasized.