Putin has no regrets about possible expulsion of Russia from G8 - spokesman
16 March 2014, 18:43 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has no regrets about G8 losing one of its members, if that happens, spokesman for the head of state, Dmitry Peskov, told the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda. Answering a reporter's question 'Does Putin regret that G8 may be left without Russia,' Peskov said, 'Not at all'.
Previously, the online version of the Spiegel magazine cited some sources in the German government who said that Russia's G8 partners are preparing to meet in the G7 format this summer, instead of their planned visit to Sochi - all due to Russia's stance on Ukraine. The UK authorities have already offered to host an alternative summit in London, with the other member countries graciously accepting the suggestion, the newspaper reports.
Berlin suspends preparations for the G8 summit, the decision on the next steps is not yet made, the representative of the German government told the newspaper. If Moscow does not make concessions in the dispute over the Crimea, then Germany intends to reject the next round of intergovernmental consultations to be held in April in the republic. Perhaps the consultations will take place in a truncated format.
It was previously that the G7 countries suspended all preparations for the summit in Sochi. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia will nevertheless be ready to host colleagues. 'If they do not want to come, well, it is their own choice,' he said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said that the decision of the G7 is unmotivated. he change of government that happened in Ukraine on February 22, has signs of a coup. The Supreme Council ousted President Viktor Yanukovych from power, changed the constitution and appointed new elections for May 25. Yanukovych said that he had been forced to leave Ukraine under threat of violence, but remains the legally elected head of state. Moscow believes that the legitimacy of the Verkhovna Rada decisions is doubtful. A number of areas in eastern and southern Ukraine, as well as the Crimea, refused to recognize the legitimacy of the parliament and decided to hold a referendum on the future fate of regions. The G7 countries have already announced that they will not recognize the results of the referendum.
Putin's foreign trip schedule unchanged – Peskov
No adjustments have been introduced into Russian President Vladimir Putin foreign trip schedule, Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.
No planned meetings with high-ranking foreign guests in the Kremlin have been cancelled either, he added.
'So far, no amendments to the existing plans have been made. Things just run their course,' Peskov said, commenting on the situation in Ukraine and Crimea.
He denied that any foreign policy changes were being considered amid threats of possible sanctions.
'Let's wait till concrete decisions are made. So far, there is nothing but media reports or some general statements. If anything concrete comes up, then we will look at possible risks and a potential impact both for us and our partners,' Peskov said.
Voice of Russia, RIA
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