Germany: "G7, Korea Yes but Russia No"... Trump Says "Invite Putin"

Kang Kyung-hwa Achieves Face-to-Face Diplomatic Success After 6 Months
Trump's Invitation to Putin Sparks Conflict Among Member States
Trump "Hopes to Hold Meeting After November Election"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 10th (local time), Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and the German Foreign Minister, who met in Berlin, expressed their support for South Korea's participation in the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit. However, they reiterated their opposition to Russia's participation, effectively putting a brake on U.S. President Donald Trump's plan. Coincidentally, President Trump also announced on the same day that the G7 summit would be postponed until after the November presidential election and that Russian President Vladimir Putin would definitely be invited, signaling potential conflicts among member countries.

Heiko Maas, German Foreign Minister, held a press conference after the '2nd Korea-Germany Foreign Ministers Strategic Dialogue' with Minister Kang, who visited Berlin, stating, "If the G7 summit held this fall takes place, we welcome South Korea's attendance," emphasizing, "South Korea is an internationally important country and a close partner sharing values with Germany, so we are particularly pleased." He added that there should be in-depth discussions on the expansion of the G7 and the Group of Twenty (G20) system, and that the current structure of the United Nations (UN) Security Council should be reviewed to reflect reality.

This is the first time Germany has directly expressed support for South Korea's participation in the G7 summit, as proposed by President Trump. Minister Kang chose Germany as her first destination to resume face-to-face diplomacy after a six-month hiatus due to the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Regarding this, Minister Kang said, "South Korea has set an example in responding to COVID-19 and has made significant contributions to the international community," adding, "Regarding the G7 expansion issue, as Minister Maas said, it is a situation where progress should be made through discussions within the framework of international community deliberations."

Minister Maas reiterated a negative stance on Russia, once again putting a brake on President Trump's G7 expansion plan. He said, "Overall, we need to consider which countries participate, but Russia, which was part of the G8, will not be readmitted," adding, "In Russia's case, the annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine must be resolved first."

Although Germany expressed a welcoming stance toward South Korea's participation in the G7 summit on this day, holding an expanded meeting is expected to be challenging. President Trump said during a COVID-19 briefing at the White House, "The G7 summit has been postponed," and "I want to hold it after the November election." In particular, when asked whether he would invite Russian President Putin, President Trump emphasized, "He is an important element, so he will definitely be invited to the meeting."

Earlier, President Trump caused controversy by stating that he wanted to hold the G7 summit in September and, using the authority of the chair country, invite South Korea, Australia, Russia, and India to expand the G7 system. Contrary to President Trump's position, member countries that excluded Russia from the G8 due to the Crimea situation are actively opposing Russia's invitation to the G7 summit.