One of the main issues at the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Biarritz, France, on August 24-26, was whether Russia would return to the exclusive organization, with the United States and France both showing support for it. In an article for Beijing Review, Han Lu, a researcher with the China Institute of International Studies, shared her views:

The connection between Russia and the G7 dates back to the 1990s, with the country attending its first summit in 1994. But Russia's relations with major Western countries turned sour after a popular referendum held in Crimea, a Ukrainian autonomous republic, voted to join Russia in March 2014. Russia has since withdrawn from the group.

In recent years, the G7 has extended an olive branch to Russia. However, according to the current situation, Russia is unlikely to return to the G7 anytime soon.

There is still major disagreement over Russia's rejoining among G7 members. According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, member countries need to reach a common ground first before raising any proposals.

The United States and France have been consistent with their support, but for different reasons. The United States wants to ease its relations with Russia, attempt to restart Russia-U.S. talks and improve bilateral relations by promoting its G7 return. In addition, Russia's participation is necessary to address some international hotspots, such as the Iranian nuclear issue and Syria.

France hopes to further enhance its influence in Europe by supporting the readmission of Russia to demonstrate its independent foreign policy and diplomatic strategy. Along with Brexit, the Italian political crisis and the stepping down of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2021, the move will undoubtedly help France become a new leader of the European Union.

Meanwhile, Russia has not shown much interest in returning to the G7. Its foreign strategic goal is still gaining respect from major Western countries and enhancing its international status. Russia-U.S. relations will be difficult to improve in the short term, since the two countries have not yet reached agreement on issues such as Ukraine, the Iranian nuclear issue and the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

The declining status of the G7 also keeps Russia from viewing its return as necessary since it believes some strategic priority issues can be addressed through the Group of 20. Even as a member of the group, Russia was never fully integrated into the group.

Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo

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