Germany opposes Russia's return to the G8
Photo: Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz (Getty Images)
Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz spoke sharply against Russia’s return to the G8, as envisioned in the US "peace plan" for Ukraine, according to DW.
“At the moment, I do not see any willingness among the six current members of the G7, who are not America, to accept Russia back into this group,” Merz said on Sunday, 23 November, at a press conference following the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
Merz stressed that a return to the G8 format can only be agreed based on consensus.
DW notes that the day before, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed the same position. He also stated that there are no preconditions for readmitting Russia to the "Group of Eight."
Russia was excluded from the G8 in June 2014 in response to the occupation of Crimea. At the time, the G8 summit was supposed to take place in Sochi, but the leaders of the other seven states refused to attend.
The G7 now consists of the US, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, and Japan. The group is considered a club of states with the world’s most advanced economies.
Proposals regarding Russia's return to G8
Russia’s return to the G8 was mentioned in the peace plan for Ukraine prepared by the US.
In particular, the document states that Russia may gradually return to international formats and reintegrate into the global economy. One of the points outlines the prospect of Russia’s return to the G8.
In June 2025, US President Donald Trump stated that if Russia had remained in the “Group of Eight,” the full-scale invasion of Ukraine could have been avoided.
Trump complained that former US President Barack Obama and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not want to keep Russia in the G8 after it occupied Crimea.
