French President Emmanuel Macron opposed a return to cooperation with Russia within the G8, believing that the conditions for this are not currently available.
He made this statement to reporters on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
“Today, the conditions for Russia's return to the G8 are not met. Moreover, this format depends on the unanimous consent of all participants“, he said. Macron added that he would not “tell others what to do“ on this issue when France takes over the G7 presidency in 2026.
The French head of state expressed his intention to “build a French G7“ in close cooperation with countries outside the group, mentioning Brazil, India, China and South Africa.
“We will have an original and somewhat new format because we need unity“, he concluded.
Earlier, The Wall Street Journal, referring to the US plan for a Ukrainian settlement, reported that it included a proposal to invite Russia to the G8. The publication noted that in this case, sanctions would be lifted “on a case-by-case basis“.