Trump team weighs forming 5-nation group with Russia to replace G7 — Politico
Photo: Donald Trump (Getty Images)
The administration of US President Donald Trump is discussing the creation of a new alliance of countries involving China and Russia, which should become an alternative to the G7, Politico reports.
An official who worked in the White House during Trump's first administration noted that the idea of creating a Core 5, or C5, alliance involving the US, China, India, Japan, and Russia is no longer considered particularly shocking.
"Nothing around a C5 or C7 was discussed, but there were certainly conversations that the existing bodies like the G-structures or the U.N. Security Council weren’t fit for purpose given today’s new players," the official says on condition of anonymity.
The idea of creating the C5 came up in a longer, unpublished version of the National Security Strategy that the White House released last week.
The White House categorically denied the existence of the document, and White House spokesperson Anna Kelly added that there is no alternative, private, or secret version of the 33-page official plan.
Torrey Taussig, who served as director for European affairs at the National Security Council during the Biden administration, noted that Europe does not feature in the possible C5 alliance.
Michael Sobolik, who was an aide to Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, during Trump's first administration, also viewed the C5 as an alternative to Trump's own policy toward China during his first term.
G7
The G7, or literally the Group of Seven, is an international club of governments of seven highly developed countries (the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, and Canada).
The leaders of these countries meet regularly to discuss common economic issues and try to coordinate their economic policies. The European Union also participates in the meetings, but without the right to vote at the annual meetings.
Every year, the group holds a meeting of heads of government, numerous supporting meetings, and political research. G7 Ministers meet throughout the year. In particular, G7 finance ministers meet four times a year.
Earlier, the US proposed that the G7 members increase sanctions and tariff pressure on Russia. In particular, it is planned to develop a mechanism for confiscating Russian assets.
Earlier, the G7 countries also stated that they were ready to consider the possibility of confiscating all frozen Russian assets in order to achieve a just peace in Ukraine.
