No: Vladimir Putin's blunt answer on Russia being in G8 again

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that Moscow is not seeking a return to the G8, telling India Today in an exclusive interview that he sees little value in the format and prefers forums such as Brics and the G20, both of which include India as key member.

Putin, who is in India on a two-day visit, said he had personally stopped attending G8 meetings long before the fallout over Ukraine and said that, in his view, the grouping no longer reflects today’s economic realities.

Asked whether Russia wanted to rejoin what was once the G8, Putin replied with an unambiguous "no", adding that his position on the matter was long-standing.

"At a certain point in time, I simply stopped going to these meetings," he said, stressing that this decision pre-dated the Ukraine conflict. He recalled that he stopped regular attendance after Russia’s 2012 presidential election and had only appeared intermittently after that.

The Russian President said there had been no formal offer for Russia to return. He stressed that the subject came up in his recent talks with US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, but only in the context of him explaining why he had walked away from the format. "There was no proposal," he said.

PUTIN CHALLENGES G7's RELEVANCE

Putin also questioned the idea that the G7 still represents the world’s leading economic powers. He mocked the label itself, noting that in Russian the letter "G" is associated with the word for "great" or "big", and argued that several major economies are now outside the club. He also said India’s economy ranks third in the world -- a pointed jibe at the G7 -- to underline how the grouping no longer reflects today’s economic hierarchy.

He pointed to India’s position in global rankings by purchasing power, noting that it stands third in the world, ahead of some G7 members. By contrast, he said, countries such as the United Kingdom now rank much lower on that measure.

While stressing that G7 states still have "a high-tech economy with a very solid foundation", he said that their position is eroding. He cited recession in Germany "for the third year in a row" and described France as "on the brink of recession", adding that other leading European economies are also under strain. This, he said, was happening "due to the erroneous policy pursued by the authorities of many of these countries".

Even so, he stopped short of dismissing the grouping outright. "The G7 is still an important platform. They are working on something, discussing things, making some decisions. Good health to them and all the best," he said.

PUTIN BACKS BRICS, SCO AND G20 OVER G7

Putin dismissed the G7 as outdated, pointing instead to Brics, the SCO and the G20 as arenas where Russia is a full participant and where today’s geopolitical balance is more faithfully represented.

"Other big associations are coming up, like Brics, the SCO. And the G20 is still active and we are participating in all of these formats," he said, adding that Moscow has "no objections" to working through these platforms.

He brushed aside speculation that Western outreach might bring Russia back to a G8 setup, saying there is no compelling reason to return.

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