MOSCOW, August 26. /TASS/. Russia did not ask anyone to initiate the discussion on reviving the G8 framework, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters at a news conference on Monday.
"We did not ask anyone [to raise the issue]. I have already said that we learned about that from public statements made by some of our Western counterparts. We did not reach out to anyone on the matter and are not going to do so," he said.
Lavrov noted that Russia was involved in the activities of other associations, such as BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the post-Soviet integration associations, the G20 and the UN.
The minister stressed that the G20 was more important for Russia than the G8 framework. "If we take global economy, global politics or financial policies, the core issues are tackled at the G20, which includes all G7 members and all BRICS members. Our positions in the G20 are determined by those approaches that are coordinated in the BRICS association," he explained, adding that Russia did not shy away from contacts with the G7 member-countries.
On Sunday, a European diplomatic source informed TASS that the G7 leaders discussed in detail relations with Russia at the Biarritz summit but failed to reach an agreement on reviving the G8 framework. According to the source, the G7 is now interested in Russia’s return to the club because of the escalating competition with the G20 where Russia plays an important role.
On August 20, US President Donald Trump said it would be "more appropriate" to return to the G8 framework, which would include Russia. On August 22, a European diplomatic source told TASS that the EU was opposed to Russia’s return until the implementation of the Minsk agreements.