The G7 may be a small, elite club, but when its leaders gather in Canada, several other national heads will attend as guests — highlighting the group’s efforts to adapt to a fast-changing world.
The leaders of India, Ukraine, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea are among a carefully selected guest list drawn up at a time of global turmoil and a radical new US approach to world affairs.
Summit invitations have become part of the G7 routine, and the host nation often likes to make a “welcome-to-this-exclusive-club” gesture, Ananya Kumar, of the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center, told AFP.
“The leaders want to meet each other, and you’ll see the guests being a part of most of the work that happens.”
Some hosts “really want certain guests there to show their significance in the global economy,” she added.
This year’s summit in the Canadian Rockies comes as the G7’s share of world GDP has fallen from 63 percent in 1992 to 44 percent today, and as member nations deliberate on troubled relations with China and Russia.
“It’s important to think of who will be there in the room as they’re making these decisions,” Kumar said ahead of the three-day event that mixes leadership meetings with “the nitty-gritty ministerial work.”
Fifty years ago, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States formed the G6, first meeting at a French chateau, before Canada joined the following year.
Russia itself was a guest in the early 1990s, becoming a full member of the G8 in 1998 before being expelled in 2014.
Notable guests for the summit that starts Sunday include:
Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s presence in Canada is a sign of continuing broad G7 support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion — despite Donald Trump’s skepticism.
The US president regularly criticizes Zelensky and has upended the West’s supply of vital military, financial and intelligence assistance to Ukraine.
Zelensky aims to use the summit to press for more US sanctions on Moscow, saying last week “I count on having a conversation” with Trump, who wants a quick peace deal.
India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the last G7 summit as India — the most populous nation in the world — takes an evermore important role in geopolitics. But his invitation this year was far from certain.
Relations between India and Canada have turned sour over accusations of New Delhi’s involvement in the assassination of a Sikh activist in Canada. Modi and new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will have a chance to reset ties.
India is also a leading member of BRICS — a more fractured bloc that includes Russia and China, but which has growing economic clout and is increasingly seen as a G7 rival.
Mexico
President Claudia Sheinbaum’s invitation means Canada has ensured that all three members of the USMCA free trade agreement will be present.
Trump is seeking to transform the deal when it is up for review next year, as he pursues his global tariff war aimed at shifting manufacturing back to the United States.
Enrique Millan-Mejia, of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, said he expected Mexico to use the summit to touch base with United States on tariffs and the USMCA, but he forecast no major breakthroughs.
South Africa
President Cyril Ramaphosa can expect a friendlier welcome than he got from Trump last month, when their Oval Office meeting included a surprise video alleging the South African government was overseeing the genocide of white farmers.
Ramaphosa may hope he can make progress repairing badly strained ties via a quiet word with Trump away from the cameras.
The former anti-apartheid activist is attending the summit as South Africa holds the current presidency of the wider G20 group, and he said he plans to push its agenda in Canada.
South Korea
Carney appears keen to expand the event to bring in other partners that hold views generally aligned with core members.
South Korea fits the bill and has emerged since the Ukraine war as a major defense exporter to Europe, although it has stopped short of directly sending arms to Kyiv.
Newly elected President Lee Jae-myung, who comes from the left, will attend after winning a snap election triggered by his predecessor’s disastrous martial law declaration.
