French foreign minister says "it's unimaginable" to return Russia to G7

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has called it impossible for Russia to return to the G7 because the aggressor country is far from democratic.

"Today it is unimaginable. The G7 is a group of the most developed democracies. Does Russia want to appear as a developed democracy? No. That is why it is unacceptable today," Barrot said, as quoted by Le Figaro.

Jean-Noël Barrot emphasised that Russia "is behaving less and less like a democracy; it is openly and shamelessly attacking other G7 members, so this is unacceptable".

At the same time, he did not rule out Russia returning to the G7 if a "just and lasting peace" is achieved in Ukraine.

"In the future, why not? The responsibility for this war lies on Putin's shoulders; it was not the Russian people who started this war. If, after we create the conditions for a just and lasting peace, we manage to re-engage with the Russian people, other diplomatic relations are possible," he added. 

Recently, US President Donald Trump stated that he would like to see Russia rejoin the Group of Seven (G7), calling its exclusion a "mistake".

Commenting on Trump's remarks, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stressed that "there can be no normal cooperation with Russia".