Merz highlighted that other G8 members also oppose bringing Moscow back into the group.
“I don’t see any willingness among the six existing G7 members, apart from the United States, to readmit Russia into this group,” Merz said.
He added that any decision to revive the G8 format will require full consensus.
DW noted that French President Emmanuel Macron voiced the same position the day before, stating that there are no grounds to readmit Russia to the G8.
Russia was expelled from the G8 in June 2014 following its occupation of Crimea.
G7 group now consists of the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, and Japan — a group regarded as a club of the world’s most advanced economies.
Russia 28-point 'peace plan' for Ukraine
On Nov. 20, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a draft "U.S. plan" to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Presidential Office said Zelenskyy plans to discuss the proposal with U.S. President Donald Trump in the coming days.
Reuters earlier reported that Washington signaled to Zelenskyy that Ukraine should accept the U.S.-crafted framework agreement on ending the war.
Under this plan, published by Axios, Ukraine would recognize Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk as de facto Russian, and freeze hostilities in Kherson and Zaporizhzhya along the current front line. The Ukrainian army would be capped at 600,000 troops, with the Constitution including a non-aligned status and a ban on joining NATO.
European states rejected the plan, calling it a de facto capitulation.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is experiencing “one of the most difficult moments in its history” and will propose alternatives to ensure the country’s interests are reflected in any agreement.