BRUSSELS, August 22. /TASS/. The return to the G8 format that would involve Russia is not on the agenda of the upcoming summit in Biarritz, France, scheduled for August 24-26. However, its participants could raise the issue as part of a discussion on future relations with Moscow, a European diplomatic source informed TASS on Thursday.
"The US president’s proposal regarding Russia’s return to the G7 is not on the agenda of the summit. Meanwhile, any of the G7 leaders can raise the issue, if they deem it necessary. The issue can be considered in the section dedicated to future relations with Russia," he said.
Commenting on the European Union’s stance on the matter, the source noted: "In 2015, the European Union decided it was impossible to return to previous relations with Russia until the Minsk agreements were implemented. The EU abides by that principle, as far as the issue of lifting restrictions against Russia is concerned, and its member-countries will adhere to that principle while discussing Russia’s potential return to the G7."
For its part, Moscow has said on numerous occasions that Russia is not a party to the conflict in Ukraine and acts as a mediator in resolving the crisis.
Another European diplomat noted at a press briefing in Brussels dedicated to preparations for the Biarritz summit that the EU "considers Russia’s expulsion from the G7 justified in the current circumstances and is opposed to its return until the situation changes."
Trump suggests revival of G8
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said it would be "more appropriate" to return to the G8 framework, which would include Russia. Later in the day, a senior US administration official told CNN that Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron agreed in a phone call on Tuesday that Russia should be invited to the G7 summit next year.
The Group of Seven (G7) is an association of industrialized countries that brings together the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United States, France and Japan. In 1997, it was renamed the Group of Eight (G8) after Russia joined the club. In 2014, Western countries decided to return to the G7 format in the wake of the developments in Ukraine and the deterioration of relations with Russia.