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.

As the Group of Seven (G7) leaders gathered for a summit in Canada on Monday focusing on conflict and trade, US President Donald Trump bemoaned the exclusion of Russia. Ahead of the official start of this year's G7 summit of leading democratic economies in Canada,

President Donald Trump said Russia should be a part of the Group of 7 alliance while meeting with fellow world leaders in Canada Monday, repeating a similar call he made in 2018 for the group to admit Russia.