G7 presents itself split over Russia

At the beginning of the G7 summit in Canada, US President Donald Trump and his European allies are presented in their attitude towards Russia. While Trump regretted the exclusion of Russia from the group of leading business powers as « big mistakes » before the first work meeting, the Europeans urged harder sanctions to stop President Vladimir Putin’s war machine. Whether the G7 members can at least come to a common denominator at the war between Israel and Iran was still completely open at the start of the two-day consultations against the backdrop of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Trump’s statements about Russia can only be seen as a provocation by the Europeans. Putin was thrown out of the G8 at the time after the Annexion of the Ukrainian Crimea. Since then, his return has been considered unthinkable to the Europeans – especially after the invasion in Ukraine 2022.

« There would be no war if Russia were there »

Trump, on the other hand, said at a meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney: « I think there would be no war if Russia was there. » It makes things much more difficult that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is no longer at the table.

Putin was very insulted when he was banished from the round, Trump said. « The way I would be, the way they were, the way everyone would be. » The Kremlin boss therefore speaks to anyone except with him, Trump emphasized. At the moment it is not the right time to resume Russia because too much has happened in the meantime, he emphasized. But the exclusion at the time was wrong.

Admission of China « not a bad idea »

Trump had often referred to Russia as a mistake in the past and temporarily advertised the country for the country’s resumption. He recently refrained from that. At the request of a reporter, Trump replied whether China was one of the largest economies in the world as one of the world’s largest economies that this was « not a bad idea ».

So far, the G7, as a community of value of the great western democracies, derived its existence from delimitation to autocratia such as China and Russia.

Trump can imagine Putin as an intermediary in Middle East

Trump also made his sympathy clear for Putin in another way. In an interview by the television station ABC, he said that he could imagine Putin as an intermediary in the war between Israel and Iran: « I would be open to it. »

Chancellor Friedrich Merz, for whom the summit in Canada is the first major test at an international meeting, held against it. « I personally do not see that the Russian president could play a mediating role in this conflict, » he said. Instead, Putin should end his war against Ukraine. « When Putin ends this war, he has done the necessary and the right thing at the scene of the world, which at the moment complains to us the most. I would very much welcome it. »

Merz hopes for signs of unity

Merz had actually went into the summit confidently and had said before his departure that despite all the differences, he hoped for a signal of unity. The Chancellor wanted to meet Trump on the first summit day to explore similarities.

The Chancellor’s goals for the summit are a common position on escalation in the Middle East, harder sanctions against Russia and progress in the customs dispute. In it he is largely agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the EU tips.

Common attitude to the new Middle East War?

One of the most important nail samples for the G7 is likely to be whether it finds a common position for escalation in the Middle East. Merz said that the Europeans were aiming for a joint explanation on the topic, in which above all it should be emphasized that Iran may under no circumstances come into the possession of nuclear weapon -capable material. « We will emphasize the state of self -defense of the state of Israel and we will also talk about further steps on how to get a diplomatic solution. »

Selenskyj joins G7

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj is also expected to be a guest at the summit and wants to meet Trump alone. He asked the G7 round in advance to increase the pressure on Russia. The EU has presented with an 18th sanction package. Merz hopes that Trump will follow up. « I would very much like the United States to join this and also impose corresponding sanctions on their side, » he said.

The EU initiative aims to further increase the pressure on Russia in order to move the country to negotiations on the end of the war against Ukraine. The planned sanctions should particularly affect the Russian energy and banking sector. It is planned, for example, a reduction in the price lid for the sale of Russian oil to countries such as India or China from the current 60 to $ 45 per barrel (159-liter barrel). The price lid was introduced by the G7 group in 2022 and provides for sanctions against actors who are involved in the export of Russian oil at higher prices.

Dispute over tariffs, unity in coveted raw materials

At the G7 summit, Merz also hopes for progress in the customs dispute with the USA. « There will be no solution on this summit, but we could perhaps approach a solution in small steps, » said the CDU politician. If no agreement is reached by July 9th, new high US tariffs are reaching almost all exports from the EU to the United States – and the EU would in turn respond with tariffs on imports from the USA.