Russia Prioritizes BRICS and G20, Calls G7 'Outdated' and Irrelevant

Russia is turning its back on the G7, calling it outdated, and shifting its focus to BRICS, SCO, and G20 as the new pillars of global influence.

Russia Chooses BRICS and G20 Over ‘Outdated’ G7

Russia is prioritizing BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the Group of Twenty (G20) over the Group of Seven (G7), which it views as outdated, according to Oleg Stepanov, Russia’s ambassador to Canada. Emphasizing Moscow’s commitment to multilateral cooperation through organizations it considers more relevant in today’s geopolitical landscape, Stepanov was quoted by Tass as saying:

We are particularly focused on the BRICS, SCO, and G20 platforms.

He dismissed any possibility of Russia returning to the G7, arguing that it no longer plays a meaningful role. “Russia has no desire to refer to past experiences. What is currently referred to as the G7 is an outdated platform. It is naive to think that it holds any sway in the new international realities,” he said.

The ambassador reaffirmed Russia’s decision to engage with global institutions that, in his view, offer a more balanced and inclusive approach to governance. “Within the framework of multilateral cooperation, Russia has made a clear choice in favor of genuine mechanisms for global governance,” he stated.

He also recalled the events of 2014 when Russia held the G8 chairmanship and was preparing for a summit in Sochi before Western countries withdrew from the association following Crimea’s reunification with Russia. “Six Western countries, along with Japan, for political reasons, refused to participate and announced their withdrawal from the association. At that moment, it ceased to exist,” Stepanov explained. The group, originally the G7 before Russia joined in 1998, reverted to its original format after the expulsion.

Rather than seeking to rejoin the G7, Russia sees greater opportunities in BRICS, which includes major emerging economies, as well as in the G20, which brings together both developed and developing nations.