Canada firmly opposes Russia's return to G7, seeks EU ties
There is no possibility that Canada will allow Russia to be present at the meeting of the most developed democratic countries in the world, the G7 group, scheduled for June, according to Canada's Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly. Donald Trump supports Russia joining this group.
Joly was asked during a teleconference to comment on the statement by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said last week that it was a mistake to remove Russia in 2014, following the annexation of Crimea, from the then G8 group. Joly responded that "no way this will happen."
Canada has chaired the G7 from January 1 to the end of the year. The G7 summit is to be held on June 15-17 in Kananaskis, Alberta. The group consists of democratic countries with the most developed economies in the world: the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Canada. Representatives of the European Union also appear at G7 summits—the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission.
Canada wants to strengthen cooperation with the EU
Joly has conducted talks in France, Germany, and Belgium in recent days, with the main goals, as reported by the media, being to increase Canada's trade with EU countries, protect jobs, and counteract American tariffs. The future security of Canada and the EU, closer cooperation on defence issues, and intelligence collaboration were also addressed.
Joly described her conversations with European politicians as a "wake-up call" for them. "It was necessary for me to be in Europe to tell them exactly what's going on," Joly said about the effects of the American president's decision for the U.S. itself and the world. "In that context, it was a wake-up call for Europeans to hear what we're going through," Joly added.
