MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th July, 2020) German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said that Russia cannot be reincorporated into the G7 format until the Ukrainian crisis is resolved.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump expressed a wish to hold the next G7 meeting in an extended format, inviting Russian, Australian, South Korean, and Indian leaders to Washington.
"The reason for excluding Russia from the [G8] roster was the annexation of Crimea and the intervention in eastern Ukraine. Until we resolve this issue, I see no possibility [for including Russia in the format]," Maas told in an interview with the Rheinische Post newspaper.
Russia joined the Group of Seven in 1998, making it G8 until 2014 when other member countries gathered in Brussels instead of Sochi due to disagreements with Moscow over the Ukrainian crisis and Crimea reunification.
