The US House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously adopted a resolution against Russia's accession to the G7 format. According to the text of the document, congressmen are in favor of continuing this ban until Moscow begins to “respect the territorial integrity of its neighbors and adhere to democratic standards.”
“The decision was made that the House of Representatives ... calls on the leaders of the G-7 countries to oppose the return of Russia until it ceases occupation of all territories falling under the sovereignty of Ukraine - including Crimea - and stops its encroachments on democracy by to the whole world; and also does not approve of Russia’s inclusion in the work of the upcoming G-7 summits until it respects the territorial integrity of neighboring countries and adheres to the standards of democratic societies, ”the text says.
Recall that the G7 format includes the USA, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Canada and Italy, as well as the European Union as an observer. In 1998, Russia was invited to participate in the summits - then the association became known as G8. However, after the reunification of Russia and the Crimea in 2014, Moscow was no longer invited to joint summits and the format returned to the “Big Seven”.
According to the author of the document, Democrat Albio Cyres, the resolution was unanimously supported by all members of the committee. Now the House of Representatives as a whole should vote on it. It is worth noting that the resolutions have no legal force and only reflect the mood of the congressmen.
"You can’t allow Russia to participate in the" group of seven "while it continues to illegally occupy territories in eastern Ukraine, destabilize the situation in the Middle East and commit numerous human rights violations," Cyres wrote on Twitter.
Russia must not be allowed to participate in the G7 while they continue to illegally occupy parts of Eastern Ukraine, destabilize the Middle East, and commit numerous human rights abuses.
- Albio Sires (@RepSires) October 30, 2019In response to such allegations, Russian authorities have repeatedly noted that Moscow is not involved in conflicts in Ukraine. So, in the Minsk agreements and the UN Security Council resolution there are two parties to the conflict - Kiev and the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass. Crimea, however, reunited with Russia following a legal referendum in 2014, in which over 96% of the peninsula voted in favor.
“There is an internal political struggle”
The adopted resolution states that it was drafted, inter alia, in connection with statements by US President Donald Trump about his intention to invite Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the G7 summit in 2020.
It is noteworthy that 44 out of 45 congressmen who signed the document are Democrats who are in opposition to Trump. Therefore, according to experts, this resolution is more likely to be domestic political and demonstrates the inter-party struggle in the United States.
“This resolution is a PR move, a political gesture against Donald Trump. Our American colleagues may as well pass a resolution against the inclusion of Russia in the United States. But no one asked our country whether we want to go there or not, ”said Gevorg Mirzayan, assistant professor of political science at the University of Russia, in an interview with RT.
In turn, Konstantin Blokhin, an expert at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, recalled that the opposition strongly opposed Trump’s idea of Russia's participation in the G7 summit.
“Trump’s idea was simple. But today in the USA there is an internal political struggle. The domestic political factor is now dominant. The idea was voiced, and after that, not only the establishment, but also a number of European states spoke out against Trump, ”he told RT.
- © Win McNamee / Getty Images / AFP
Blokhin called the resolution adopted by the House Committee a "political and symbolic gesture." Moreover, the very idea of returning Russia to this format is explained by the fact that the role of Moscow is indispensable in discussing and solving global problems, the expert explained.
“Our country needs to be connected to the negotiating table, to conduct a dialogue with us. That is, the global problems of modern politics cannot be solved without such a key player as Russia. And whether the United States wants it or not, they still have a dialogue with us. It will be easier if Russia returns to the G8 format, ”the analyst emphasized.
The fact that the adoption of such resolutions does not particularly affect Russian-American relations, Oleg Morozov, a member of the Federation Council committee on international affairs, said in a conversation with RT.
“They make it clear to the President that they strongly disagree with him. Further, he can either publicly declare war on Congress, or simply shrug and agree. This is an absolutely American story that has nothing to do with real Russian-American relations, an internal political fight, ”the senator said.
"Trump wanted to spit on the opinion of Congress"
It is worth recalling that Cyres appears in other documents of the House of Representatives, which have an anti-Russian character. In particular, he signed a resolution in which Russia is recognized as responsible for the Salisbury incident with ex-GRU officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia.
Cyres’s signature is also on the bill prohibiting the entry into the United States of those who "worked on behalf of Russia to support the security forces of Venezuela." This document calls on the State Department to evaluate cooperation between Moscow and Caracas in the light of the "threat it poses to the countries of the Western Hemisphere."
Cyres also signed the bill, codenamed “No,” to Russia in the G7. As part of it, it is proposed to prohibit the use of the federal budget for any purpose that contributes to the return of Russia to the organization or even its simple participation in summits.
In Russia, it was noted that returning to the organization is not an end in itself for the country, and the participation of Moscow in a more representative format, the G20, is much more important. Nevertheless, the Russian side favors any platform for dialogue. So, in early September, Putin said that Moscow would support the arrival of G7 leaders in Russia.
“At one time (in 2014. - RT ), the next G8 was to be held in Russia. We are open. If our partners want to come to us, we will be happy. We didn’t postpone it, but our partners, ”Putin said.
According to Mirzayan, this resolution will not affect Trump’s position on whether to invite Putin to the 2020 summit (which will be held in the United States) or not.
“When Trump talks about Russia’s returning to the G7, it’s more profitable for the Americans than for Moscow. And the congress, or rather the House of Representatives, behaves as usual, spitting on national interests only in order to express the democratic “fi” to Donald Trump. Nevertheless, for his part, he wanted to spit on the opinion of the congress, ”the analyst stated.