The fact that this was not the idea of Emmanuel Macron, but “someone higher and more serious” of the current president of the Fifth Republic, in general, outside observers understood from the very beginning of this very interesting “combination”. With all due respect to the current head of "independent France," as they say. Well, then everything became completely transparent: the head of the French Republic, purely by accident, was “supported” by none other than Donald F. Trump.
And, judging by the reports of CNN quite well informed in this case (with an official reference to a source in the administration of the American president), as it turned out pretty soon, everything was exactly the opposite: it was not Trump who supported Macron with this idea, but Macron supported Trump. According to a source on the American television channel, it is Mr. Trump who intends to discuss the invitation to Russia with the G7 members at the summit in French Biarritz on August 24–25. Well, before such a conversation, the matter is quite understandable: "Vladimir Vladimirovich, Macron will convey something interesting to you there in words."
Actually, what should be expected.
Nevertheless, as recently as Tuesday, August 20, US President Donald Trump completely officially informed reporters that he supported the return of the Russian Federation to the G8. And a little earlier, on Monday, August 19, the head of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said he was in favor of normalizing relations between Moscow and the European Union and was ready to mediate in establishing a dialogue.
As for Russia itself, it has rather complicated ways and plans from the point of view of the western part of the world community in this regard: it didn’t come to the war with Ukraine, where it was lured so, instead suddenly finding itself in Syria. And it can happen, and the above G8 will not appear. And about the Council of Europe, Vladimir Vladimirovich said a little later in Helsinki: "We are not imposing ourselves on anyone."
Although we don’t refuse any contacts and “formats”, which is also quite reasonable.
And it is precisely this hypertrophied rationality of ours that is beginning to gradually frighten the so-called Western community.
Here, after all, you see, what’s the matter and what’s the most interesting thing: nobody, in general, “tries to return us” to the G8 “closed club” format that currently does not exist.
They are again trying to sell our participation in this "closed club" to us.
This is obvious: yes, you and I can only guess what we are talking about as a subject of bidding. Such things are not written on Twitter (even among American presidents). Everything here is probably too serious for “democratically” to submit even the subject of bidding for public discussion.
Not that, excuse me, the question.
The question is, what are we here, excuse me, publicly vparivayut in return? No, of course, these guys (who would argue here) have centuries of experience selling glass beads to the indigenous population. Moreover (which is the most ridiculous) even the sought-after “glass beads” have at least some absolute value in comparison with the very relative and doubtful benefit of participating in the G8.
And indeed, even if you just philosophically reason, does it make sense to strive for a place that is no longer there?
To make it easy to understand: according to historical standards, the Big Seven, the G7, was indeed the dominant decision-making center in the global economy. It’s just that since then some changes have taken place in this far from the best of the worlds. Even in the same "seven" all the time there were some serious structural changes that were simply impossible without strategic consequences in nature. As a result: they let Russia (objectively, a country living according to classical Western standards) sit in the “+1” format, on a side chair, they either converted the format to G8, or returned to G7 again.
In principle, now all this is not so important.
The important thing is not even that our country was expelled from the G8 under a rather far-fetched pretext.
The important thing is that there is simply really nowhere to return to.
And the admission / exclusion of the Russian Federation to the club / from the club has nothing to do with it, although it might be nice for someone to think that we have ruined it: the “Big Seven” (or “Eight”), ceasing to be a club leading industrialized countries, has banally exhausted its agenda.
Those issues that are really interesting on the global agenda cannot now be resolved by this “cabal” anyway. That's why they came up with, say, the same G20. And the problems that this composition of G7 / G8 participants can solve are not of interest not only for the global agenda, but also boring even for the members of the “elite club” themselves. In which, by the way, all participants have only deliberative voting rights and only one - decisive. That is, in fact, now in all senses of the word "sell" now not even the notorious "carrot for a donkey", but the product of the deep processing of this carrot, which passed through the human body.
But still in a beautiful wrapper, and somehow it should be at least honestly understood.
Actually, this is exactly what the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Kremlin are telling us. They reacted to the brilliant idea with quite understandable coolness: it is somehow naive to think that the same bear will be able to get into the same hunting pit twice. Therefore, Maria Zakharova, for example, suggested "formalizing the relationship", in fact, transmitting the proposals in writing, because it is still not clear what it is, from the point of view of common sense, in this format to talk with colleagues from G7.
Well, we don’t discuss the type of someone else’s PR, aimed at an internal (most likely) audience.
But most of all, admittedly, Vladimir Putin made a speech in Helsinki anyway. This must be quoted, excuse me, literally: “G8 does not exist, how can I return to an organization that does not exist? Today it is the "seven". As for the possible work format of eight states, we never refuse anything. It was Russia’s turn to hold the G8 at one time, but our partners did not come. Please, at any time we are waiting for our partners to visit as part of the “seven”.
Translated into Russian, it sounds something like this: “Guys, in principle, we do not refuse any format. Just if only because this world is literally packed with all sorts of dangerous tricks, and it’s always better to talk to even the most unpleasant people for you than to kill each other with these unpleasant people. ”
Therefore, probably, we are ready to meet in the G8 format, although we do not really count on any particular success. Well, why, in the end, not try to at least somehow formalize the relationship.
But here we are definitely not going to buy a place in the G8 by means of some yet unclear concessions. And not at all because they are not ready for any concessions: politics, especially competent and long-term, is always a compromise to one degree or another.
Just in this particular case, well, it’s not worth it, sorry, that.
Frivolous, in general, an offer.
Stay, sorry, the goods.
The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.