Angela Merkel Slams G7 Summit Door On Vladimir Putin and Russia Over Crimea Annexation
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be invited in the G7 summit in Germany this year as punishment for his decision to annex Crimea last year.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who will host the summit in Bavaria on June 7 to 8, condemned Russia's move, describing it as a "blatant violation of the principles of international law."
"The G7 and former G8 group has always viewed itself as a community of values. The events in eastern Ukraine are serious violations of these common values, and that's why there was no chance at this point that Putin might be invited to G7 Summit in Bavaria in June," Merkel said, according to Reuters.
In an interview published in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper on Thursday, Merkel also reiterated her position that Europe could not consider lifting sanctions against Russia as long as the reasons for imposing them remain unresolved.
"In spring, we will discuss the question how to deal with the sanctions that we decided to impose after Russia's annexation of Crimea. Given the current situation, they will remain in place," she reiterated.
Last week, Merkel said Europe would only lift sanctions on Russia until all elements of a 12-point peace agreement between Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels that was signed in September are fully implemented.
Last year, Russia and Ukraine tangled over control of the Crimean Peninsula, which culminated in its annexation by Russia.
In the aftermath of the Ukrainian Revolution, the Ukrainian parliament removed President Viktor Yanukovych from power after he fled from the capital Kiev in February last year. The parliament appoined Oleksandr Turchynov as its interim President who then formed an interim government.
The European Union and the United States recognized the new Ukrainian government but this was rejected by Russia, who condemned Turchynov's government as illegitimate and the result of a coup d'etat.
Pro-Russian protests ensued in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, which marked the beginning of pro-Russian forces' occupation of strategic positions and infrastructure across the Crimean peninsula.
Media sources reported the presence of military personnel equipped with Russian weapons and speaking in Russian, forcing the Crimean Parliament to dismiss the interim government, and call for a referendum on Crimea's autonomy.
The E.U., U.S., and Ukraine rejected the result of the referendum for violating Ukraine's constitution and international law a day before the Crimean Parliament declared independence from Ukraine and asked to join Russia in March 2014.
On March 18, Russia and the separatist government of Crimea signed a treaty of accession of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol into the Russian Federation, which was declared illegal by United Nations.