After Kicking Out Russia, the G8 Is Now The G7
This year's G8 summit won't be in Sochi, Russia as planned. And it won't include Russia at all, after the seven other world leaders in the group of industrialized nations decided to give Russia the boot.
This year's G8 summit won't be in Sochi, Russia as planned. And it won't include Russia at all, after the seven other world leaders in the group of industrialized nations decided to give Russia the boot. The seven leaders met at the behest of President Obama, and instead of Sochi, the now G7's summer meeting will happen in Brussels.
In a statement, the G7 explained their reasoning. Surprise! It has to do with Russia's annexation of Crimea:
"International law prohibits the acquisition of part or all of another state's territory through coercion or force. To do so violates the principles upon which the international system is built. We condemn the illegal referendum held in Crimea in violation of Ukraine's constitution. We also strongly condemn Russia's illegal attempt to annex Crimea in contravention of international law and specific international obligations."