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February 25, 2025 | 07:53 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - German Finance Minister Joerg Kukies revealed in an interview with Reuters that Russia will not be allowed back into the Group of Seven (G7), despite U.S. President Donald Trump requesting Russia's readmission. The current G7 member countries are the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada, and France.
"The condemnation of the G7 of Russia's war of aggression is very clear, especially on the third anniversary of Russia's brutal attack," Kukies said, emphasizing that Trump's proposal does not require unanimous approval. In 2014, Russia was expelled from the G7 on accusations of encroachment on Ukrainian territory.
Kukies is scheduled for a working visit to Cape Town, South Africa, to meet with the finance ministers of the G20 member countries. British Finance Minister Scott Bessent was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts. The state of the current global economy will be the main topic of discussion at the G20 finance ministers' meeting.
"We really need to re-embark on a path of economic growth. Germany has a lot of homework to do," Kukies said.
Kukies was appointed as Germany's finance minister by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in November 2024 after his government coalition collapsed. He continued to lead Germany until a new government was formed after the election on Sunday, February 23, 2025, won by Friedrich Merz of the conservative party.
Kukies stated that a trade war between the United States and the European Union could be avoided because both sides are willing to negotiate. "No one has an interest in starting a trade war," Kukies said.
A total of 27 European Union member countries were affected by President Donald Trump's plan to increase import tariffs on the United States. They hoped that Trump would implement tariffs similar to those imposed by other countries.
According to Kukies, the European Union has a surplus of goods exported to the United States, which is almost balanced by the United States' surplus of exported services to Europe. "If you add up both of the imbalances on the trade side, they net out to quite a reasonably small number," the German minister said.
REUTERS
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