German FM: Russia’s Return to G-8 Depends on Ukraine Ceasefire

Russia Gets Agreement to Withdraw More Arms From Ukraine Front

In comments today before a meeting with Russian FM Sergey Lavrov, German FM Frank-Walter Steinmeier dismissed reports Russia might be invited to attend a future G-8 meeting, what with being a G-8 member at all.

Steinmeier insisted that the G-8 will remain the G-7, and Russia won’t be invited, for the foreseeable future until the Ukraine civil war is resolved. Russia continues to press Ukraine on a ceasefire there, and reported more progress today.

Steinmeier, notably, was one of the few G-7 members to oppose the exclusion of Russia in the first place, and Germany has been working alongside Russia in getting the Ukraine ceasefire implemented.

Since Russia is the only G-8 member that is not in America’s back pocket, the G-7 meetings seem to only amount to photo opportunities to highlight the Russian absence. Despite this, officials continue to schedule “summits” for the remaining nations.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.