Russia may return to the G7 only after the aggression against Ukraine is stopped, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky posted on Facebook.
"The return of occupied Crimea, the cessation of military operations in Donbas and the release of more than 100 political prisoners and Ukrainian sailors held by the Kremlin will be a real serious signal to the world that Russia is ready to take its place on the agenda of high diplomacy again," Zelensky wrote.
The Head of State also thanked the countries that support Ukraine in asserting its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The Russian Federation was expelled from the old G8 format after it had annexed the Ukrainian Crimea in 2014 and all other members of the group – the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the USA – imposed sanctions against Moscow.
On August 20, US President Donald Trump said that he would suggest allowing Russia to return to the G8 format if the United States chaired the group next year.
Following this statement, CNN reported, citing a source in the administration of Donald Trump, that the French and American presidents allegedly agreed in a telephone conversation on Tuesday to return Russia to the G7 next year.