Putin excludes the possibility of returning to G7

During a visit to India on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia has no intention of returning to the Group of Seven (G7) industrial nations. He highlighted that the G7's share of the global economy has been steadily declining over the years, according to an interview with India Today reported by TASS.

The G7 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with the European Union also participating in discussions.

Russia was removed from the grouppreviously the G8following its annexation of Crimea in 2014. This left the remaining members aligned around Western democratic principles, though tensions have surfaced between the United States and other members since Donald Trump returned to the presidency in January.

Russia joined the G8 in 1998, not for its economic power but because of its significant political influence worldwide. Recently, proposals supported by the United States suggested that Russia could be invited back to the G7 as part of peace efforts in Ukraine. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz opposed this idea, stating that the members are not prepared to reintegrate Russia.

Putin clarified that the possibility of rejoining the G7 was not raised in discussions with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who visited Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the latest attempts to mediate the Ukraine conflict.

Commenting on the meetings, Putin described them as productive and acknowledged Trump's efforts to facilitate negotiations. "Reaching agreement between conflicting parties is not a simple task," he remarked.

He reiterated a warning to Ukraine, stating that if Ukrainian forces do not withdraw, Russian troops will aim to take control of the entire eastern Donbass region and Novorossiya, a historical term referring to the areas that include modern-day Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, and Odessa in southern Ukraine.

Author: Noah Whitman