REUTERS

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky during a telephone conversation on Thursday thanked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his willingness to adhere to the principled position of non-acceptance of Russia's possible return to the Group of Seven.

The president thanked Canada for its consistent stance on the impossibility of Russia returning to the G7 amid the ongoing aggression in Donbas and the occupation of Crimea, the Ukrainian president's press service reported.

Zelensky noted that in a situation where Ukrainians are being killed, it is necessary to force Russia to fulfill its obligations instead of bringing it back to G7.

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Zelensky also thanked Trudeau for the same principled position on the unacceptability of Russia's return, which he demonstrated during last year’s G7 summit held in Canada.

Read alsoBoris Johnson assures Ukrainian president of opposing Russia's return to G7

The president of Ukraine and the prime minister of Canada agreed to continue discussing the issues of countering Russia's aggressive policy and protecting the interests of Ukraine after the G7 summit in France, which will be held on August 24-26.

As UNIAN reported earlier, in 2014, after the annexation of Crimea, Russia was expelled from the G8, a group of highly industrialized states, which currently includes the USA, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, and Canada (G7).

Russia was expelled from G8 in 2014 after the illegal annexation of Crimea. Since then, Western leaders have repeatedly stated that the restoration of Russian participation is tied with the "Crimean issue" and Russia's compliance with the Minsk agreements, which provide for an end to the conflict in the Donbas.

Read alsoZelensky comments on Russia's possible return to G7

On August 20, 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would support Russia's return to the group.

French President Emmanuel Macron believes that such a step is possible after the Ukraine crisis is settled.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the reasons for Russia's exclusion from the G8 have not been eliminated, so any discussions about returning Russia to this format are premature.