Germany opposes Russia’s return to the format of the "Big seven", said German foreign Minister Heiko Maas in an interview with Rheinische Post.
The diplomat stressed that the reason for the exclusion of Moscow from this format was the reunification with Crimea and the situation in Ukraine.
"Until this issue is resolved, I do not see opportunities to invite Russia" said Maas.
He also disagreed with the proposal of the President of the United States Donald trump be invited to the G7 summit, the four countries — Russia, India, the Republic of Korea and Australia. According to the Minister, acceptable to the Berlin format is in the club of seven countries or twenty, but not eleven or twelve.
Also Maas praised the experience of the Russian colleagues, Sergei Lavrov. He added that the head of Russian diplomacy consistently defends the interests of his country, but it is always possible to "find a solution".
"Group of seven" ("Big seven", G7) is a Union of seven economically developed countries: USA, Germany, Japan, UK, France, Italy and Canada.
In 1998, the format has expanded at the expense of Russia, but after the return of the Crimea, the club members refused to attend the summit in Sochi and gathered in Brussels seven.
The possible resumption of the format "Big eight" spoke in August, trump. Then he said that he intended to invite Putin to G7 summit, which in 2020 will be held in the United States.
Putin, for his part, said that Moscow is ready to dialogue and does not preclude recovery format "Big eight", but it is not an end in itself.
