BRUSSELS, Belgium (NBC) – The European Union joined a growing chorus of members of the Group of Seven or, “G7,” to insist that Russia not be allowed back into the fold. It comes after
President Trump said he plans to invite President Putin to the next G7 summit.
The G7 members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The 27-nation European Union, the world’s biggest trading bloc, also takes part.
Russia was suspended in 2014 from the then G8 following its invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said, “I would like to stress the fact that the prerogative of the G7 chair, in this case, the United States, this chair is to issue guest invitations. And guest invitations reflect the host priorities. But changing membership with changing the format on a permanent basis is not the prerogative of the G7 chair.”
President Trump said Saturday that he is postponing next month’s G7 summit and plans to invite Russia, Australia, South Korea and India when it does take place.
Trump said he feels the current makeup of the group is “very outdated.”
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