German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sharply opposed Russia's return to the "Group of Eight" (G8), as envisioned in the United States' "peace plan" for Ukraine. This is reported by UNN with reference to DW.
Details
The German Chancellor stated that no one in the G7, except the United States, wants Russia to return. There are no prerequisites for this either, emphasized Friedrich Merz.
At the moment, I don't see any willingness among the six current G7 members who are not America to readmit Russia to this group
According to Merz, a return to the G8 format can only be agreed upon by consensus.
It is noted that French President Emmanuel Macron expressed a similar view the day before, stating that there are no prerequisites for Russia's readmission.
For reference
Russia was expelled from the G8 in June 2014 in response to the occupation of Crimea. At that time, the G8 summit was supposed to take place in Sochi, but the leaders of the other seven states refused to attend the meeting.
Currently, the G7 consists of the USA, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Canada, and Japan. The group is considered a club of states with the most developed economies.
Recall
The issue of Russia's possible return to the G8 was mentioned in the peace plan for Ukraine developed by the United States.
In June 2025, US President Donald Trump stated that Russia's exclusion from the G8 was a mistake, and if Russia had not been excluded, there would be no war now.