Canadian PM invites Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman to 2025 G7 Summit
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Carney has invited bin Salman to attend the G7 summit in Canada, alongside other leaders such as Ukraine's Zelensky and India's Modi.
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman joins President Donald Trump to greet delegations at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 (AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has extended an official invitation to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud to attend the upcoming G7 summit, Canadian broadcaster Global News reported, citing informed sources.
The summit will be held in Canada from June 15 to 17, and it remains unclear whether the Saudi Crown Prince will accept the invitation. He had also been invited to last year’s G7 summit in Italy but did not attend, the report noted.
In addition to the Saudi Crown Prince, this year’s summit will also include invitations to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Indian President Narendra Modi, reflecting the G7’s ongoing outreach to key global partners amid international crises and shifting alliances.
Debate on Russia’s exclusion from G8 resurfaces
Meanwhile, discussion has resurfaced regarding Russia’s exclusion from the former G8 format. In May, US President Donald Trump criticized the decision to remove Russia from the group, calling it a mistake.
G8 became G7 after 2014 Crimea crisis
The G8 was formed in 1998 but was reduced to the G7 in 2014 after Russia’s annexation of Crimea. In response to the situation, Western nations chose not to attend the planned summit in Sochi and instead met without Russia in Brussels.
Western countries accused Russia of interfering in Ukraine’s affairs and subsequently imposed sanctions. Moscow responded with countermeasures and has consistently denied all accusations.
Russian officials have argued that engaging with Moscow through sanctions is ineffective and counterproductive.
Read more: US blocks G7 proposal on Russia's shadow fleet task force: Bloomberg
