THE European Union’s chief diplomat yesterday warned Donald Trump that he does not have the power to change the format of the G7 summit, after the US president said he wants to invite several other countries, including Russia.

Russia was expelled from the club of the world’s leading industrial nations in 2014 after annexing Crimea from Ukraine, but Trump said the current membership is outdated.

Leaders from G7 nations – the US, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan – had been scheduled to meet by videoconference this month, but Trump on Saturday said he plans to hold an in-person summit later, possibly in September.

Calling the current line-up of countries “very outdated”, he also said he plans to invite other nations, including Russia, to join the meeting.

However, EU foreign affairs high representative Josep Borrell said Russia had not changed course since 2014 and should not be readmitted.

“The prerogative of the G7 chair, in this case the US, is to issue guest invitations – guest invitations reflect the host’s priorities.

“But changing membership, changing the format on a permanent basis, is not a prerogative of the G7 chair.”

Later, the Indian government said Trump has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 meet.

Trump and Modi spoke by phone yesterday, and the US leader “conveyed his desire to expand the ambit of the grouping beyond the existing membership, to include other important countries, including India”, said the Delhi government in a statement.

Modi commended Trump “for his creative and far-sighted approach, acknowledging the fact that such an expanded forum would be in keeping with the emerging realities of the post-Covid-19 world”, added the statement.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected the idea of inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing the latter’s “continued disrespect and flaunting of international rules and norms”. – AFP, June 3, 2020.