Germany rules out Russia’s return to G7

Berlin — Russia will not be readmitted into the Group of Seven (G7) nations as US President Donald Trump has requested, German finance minister Joerg Kukies said in an interview.

“The condemnation of the G7 of Russia’s war of aggression is very clear, especially on the third anniversary of Russia’s brutal attack,” Kukies said. Trump’s proposal would not get the unanimity required, he added.

Kukies travels to Cape Town on Tuesday for the Group of 20 (G20) meeting of finance ministers, though his US counterpart, treasury secretary Scott Bessent, will be absent due to a scheduling conflict.

The state of the global economy will be a central topic of the meetings. “We really need to re-embark on a path of economic growth,” Kukies said. Germany “has a lot of homework to do”.

Kukies was named finance minister by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in November after Scholz’s governing coalition collapsed, and is due to serve until a new government is formed after Sunday’s election, which was won by Friedrich Merz’s conservatives.

A trade war between the US and the EU can be avoided as both sides are willing to negotiate, Kukies said. “No-one has an interest in starting a trade war.”

The 27-member EU could be hit especially hard by Trump’s reciprocal tariff plan to raise US import tariff rates to match tariffs and other levies charged by other countries.

Kukies said the EU surplus in goods exported to the US was almost offset by a US surplus in services exported to Europe.

“If you add up both of the imbalances on the trade side, they net out to quite a reasonably small number,” he said.

Kukies said the G7 could discuss long-standing proposals to use $300bn of Russian sovereign assets frozen in Europe for the reconstruction of Ukraine, “but the discussions are just starting. It’s probably a bit early to say”.

Sources have said Moscow could agree in a future peace deal to using the frozen assets for reconstruction, provided part of the money is spent in parts of Ukraine now controlled by Russian forces.

Reuters