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Return to G8 possible if Minsk process successful — Merkel

The German leader said she had no idea of Donald Trump’s motive for suggesting to revive the G8 format
German Chancellor Angela Merkel  EPA-EFE/JULIEN WARNAND
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
© EPA-EFE/JULIEN WARNAND

BERLIN, June 10. /TASS/. West needs Russia’s participation in solving international and regional crises, but cannot let Moscow join the G7 group of nations without progress in the Minsk process on Ukrainian reconciliation, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an ARD TV broadcast on Sunday.

"I can imagine Russia’s return. But first of all we need to make progress in implementing the Minsk agreements," she said.

The German leader said she had no idea of Donald Trump’s motive for suggesting to revive the G8 format.

Before his departure to the Canadian summit on Friday, Trump told reporters that it would be right to revive the G8 format (G7 nations plus Russia), suspended in 2014.

The G7 group of industrialized nations, which was created in 1976, lists the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United States, France and Japan. After Russia joined the group in 1997, the format was renamed G8. However, as Russian-Western relations deteriorated amid the crisis in Ukraine in 2014, the seven nations decided to return to the G7 format.