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Dan Jarvis suggests Moscow’s return to the G7 could be part of a settlement for the Ukraine conflict, diverging from the government’s official position.
UK Security Minister Dan Jarvis has contradicted the government’s stance on Russia’s exclusion from the G7, proposing that its readmission could be on the table during post-conflict discussions about Ukraine. Downing Street quickly dismissed this idea, asserting that Moscow must make significant territorial concessions to Kiev before rejoining.
In a Monday interview with Times Radio, Jarvis stated that Russia’s potential reinstatement in the Western-dominated group would be “a matter to be discussed with international allies” after hostilities between Moscow and Kiev cease.
He also mentioned that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will discuss this with world leaders later in the week, describing the UK’s strategy as a “stick-and-carrot” approach aimed at persuading Russia to end the conflict.
Jarvis’s remarks were immediately met with resistance from Downing Street, which reiterated that the UK would not accept Russia’s return while it occupies Ukrainian territory.
“We can’t countenance Russia joining the G7 whilst it has got illegal forces in Ukraine,” a spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, emphasizing that Britain’s position on the matter “hasn’t changed.”
When specifically asked if Russia could rejoin while still in control of Crimea, which voted to rejoin Russia after a Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014, the spokesman declined to give a direct answer, stating: “I am not going to get ahead of the talks that are ongoing. Our focus is on putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position, exercising maximum pressure on Russia.”
When questioned about Jarvis’s comments on Russia’s G7 return, the spokesman suggested he “was talking more broadly about the fact that talks are happening on a wide range of measures relating to Russia and Ukraine.”
Moscow was removed from the then-G8 in 2014 following Crimea’s annexation by Russia. However, earlier this month, US President Donald Trump expressed his desire to “would love to have them [Russia] back,” claiming that “it was a mistake to throw them out,” and that Russia’s membership shouldn’t depend on Western agreement with Moscow.
Despite these discussions, Russia has not expressed significant interest in rejoining. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed the notion, arguing that the G7 has “lost its relevance” due to the shift in global economic power.
Instead, Moscow has been focusing on promoting collaboration within the BRICS economic forum, which is primarily composed of emerging economies. This bloc, which has recently expanded considerably, now accounts for approximately 46% of the world’s population and over 36% of global GDP, according to estimates.