BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that there would not be any Group of 8 meetings with Russia as long as it fails to comply with basic common values of democracy and states based on rules of law.
"The developments in Ukraine are the reason that we will meet in Elmau as Group of 7 and not a Group of 8," she said in a speech in parliament, referring to the meetings in Bavaria next month without Russia's participation.
"We see the G7 as a community of values. And that means working together for freedom, democracy, and for the rule of law. That means respecting the laws of nations and the territorial integrity of nations."
She added: "Russia's actions in Ukraine are not compatible with that. A return to the G8 format is not imaginable as long as Russia doesn't act according to those basic values."
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