Germany has categorically rejected US President Donald Trump's proposal to restore Russia's membership in the Group of Seven (G7), German Finance Minister Jörg Kukis told Reuters.
"The G7's condemnation of Russia's aggression against Ukraine is unequivocal, especially on the third anniversary of Russia's brutal attack," Kukis said, stressing that Trump's proposal would not receive the necessary unanimous consensus.
The German finance minister will travel to Cape Town on Tuesday for the G20 finance ministers' meeting, where the global economy will be the main topic. He is expected to discuss the need to restore economic growth, acknowledging that Germany "has a lot of work to do."
Kukis said the United States and the European Union could avoid a trade war, stressing that both sides were ready to negotiate. This comes against the backdrop of Trump's plan to impose reciprocal tariffs on imports that could hit the EU particularly hard.
The German finance minister also revealed that the G7 will discuss a long-standing proposal to use $300 billion in frozen Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine. However, he warned that the negotiations are in their early stages and it is too early to draw any final conclusions.
According to sources cited by "Reuters", Moscow may agree to use these funds to rebuild Ukraine, but on condition that some of them are directed to territories controlled by Russian forces.
Trump's proposal to return Russia to the G-7 is likely to be one of the main contentious issues between Washington and European leaders, who continue to insist on pressure on the Kremlin and support for Ukraine.