Merz rejected the US idea of Russia's return to the G7

"At the moment, I don't see any willingness among the six current G7 members that aren't America to readmit Russia to this group," Merz said at a press conference after the G20 summit in Johannesburg.

He emphasized that a return to the G8 format can only be agreed upon on the basis of consensus.

As noted, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed a similar view the day before, when he stated that there were no prerequisites for Russia's readmission.

Russia was expelled from the G8 in 2014 after the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, DW recalls. During his first presidency in 2017-2021, Donald Trump repeatedly tried to facilitate Russia's return to the G8.

Following the meeting of G7 foreign ministers, all its members agreed to continue to increase economic pressure on Russia in order to force it to stop the war against Ukraine.