Putin firm on Russia not joining G7, says relationship with European countries ‘far from being called normal’

NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday didn’t mince words in expressing disinterest in incorporating his country into the Group of Seven (G7), a political and economic forum consisting of countries that remain economically advanced, citing one of the reasons being an unusual relationship with European countries.

In an interview with Aaj Tak and India Today, Putin replied with a simple “no” when asked whether Russia was considering joining the same. He said that he stopped attending G8 meetings, after which the group reverted to the G7.

The Russian president further criticised the Western countries that remain part of the G7 for calling themselves “Big Seven”, asserting that countries like the United Kingdom (UK), in terms of purchasing power parity, ranked lower than India.

“The second thing is that, as I have said before, it’s not entirely clear why the countries that form the G7 call themselves the ‘Big Seven’? What’s so big about them? In terms of purchasing power parity, India’s economy is the third largest in the world. And where are the countries like the United Kingdom in terms of purchasing power parity? What is their ranking now, tenth or thereabouts?” Putin said.

“These are all countries with advanced, high-tech economies; a robust foundation exists, it hasn’t gone anywhere, although their share in the global economy is shrinking year after year, like a piece of Shagreen leather. This is an obvious fact; we all see it,” he added.

Taking a dig at the West, Putin highlighted Germany’s third year of recession and France’s difficult situation, despite categorising itself as “Big Seven”.

“A recession in Germany is evident, for the third year in a row; France is in a difficult situation, also on the brink of recession, as are other leading European nations. Nevertheless, it is an important platform; they do work there, they do make decisions, they do discuss matters among themselves, and so may they all be healthy by God’s grace,” the Russian president said.

“I simply stopped going there at a certain moment. This was not connected to the events in Ukraine, but to some other events; I won’t go into details now. Incidentally, we informed our American partners about this,” he added.

During his recent five-hour meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Putin explained the reasons for his earlier decision to opt out of G8 meetings.

“Other major international alliances are forming now -such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), BRICS, and the G20. We’re involved everywhere, and we definitely have a completely non-confrontational approach,” he said.

Putin further highlighted the relationship between Russia and European countries, which he called “far from being called normal”, saying it remains another reason he does not want to incorporate his country into the G7.

“There’s another aspect here. Look at the current relationship between Russia and European countries. These relationships are far from being called normal. How do you imagine that I come to the G8 meeting, how would I talk to its members if they don’t want to talk to me? What am I supposed to do there then? Well, if they do want to talk about it, fine – we can come back to this topic later,” he said. (ANI)