No Russia, No Clout: Three Reasons Why Germany Wants Moscow Back in G7

Germany has repeatedly urged to revive the G8 format to improve relations between Russia and Europe, to make sure that the members have a venue to discuss major global challenges and to improve the group's international standing at a time when its influence on global affairs appears to be in decline, the Xinhua news agency asserted.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier raised the issue earlier this month, praising Moscow for its constructive role in resolving international conflicts. He also expressed hope that Russia would swiftly return to the group if certain conditions are met.

"Germany clearly understands that many challenges that the world is facing today could not be tackled without Russia," the news agency noted. These include the ceasefire in Ukraine, the Iran nuclear deal, the Syrian peace talks, as well as multinational counterterrorism campaigns. Russia has been instrumental in all of these efforts.

The G8 reverted to the Group of Seven format following the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis and Crimea's reunification with Russia. The US and some of its allies subsequently imposed sanctions on Russia, forcing Moscow to introduce retaliatory measures.

"As a result, both Russia and the West have sustained major losses," the media outlet noted. "In this respect, many European countries, including Germany, have expressed a wish to improve relations with Moscow and lift anti-Russian sanctions."

A major step in this direction was made on Thursday when the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, backed a resolution calling for the lifting of the restrictive measure imposed on Russia. Nicolas Dhuicq, a member of the National Assembly's Defense Commission, described the vote as "a miracle and a great victory" in comments to Sputnik.

Xinhua singled out the US as an obstacle that is preventing Russia and Germany from sorting things out without intermediaries. Instead, Berlin "is forced to coordinate its stance on Russia with Washington." This leaves the G7/G8 as the only forum that could bring Russia, Europe and the US closer to each other.

Germany, according to the agency, also wants to increase the group's global influence at a time when some say the forum is losing its relevance.  The country's former Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor Joschka Fischer called it the "irrelevant seven" last year, adding that the G7 "represents a dying order."

In June 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin compared the G7 to a "hobby club" noting that the group has shown a lack of interest toward any alternative views. Last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that reviving the G8 was not on Russia's agenda as the country was more interested in cooperating with the G20 nations.