"I don't want to offend anyone, but if the United States says Russia should be returned to the G8, [Canada's] prime minister will change his opinion," Putin told journalists during a meeting with the heads of world news agencies at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
During the latest G7 summit in Germany, Harper lashed out at the Russian president, saying he did not want Vladimir Putin to attend the G7 meetings even before the civil war in Ukraine broke out.
The dominant Western narrative has it that Russia was the one to upset regional balance in Europe by meddling in the internal affairs of its neighbor and reuniting with Crimea.
Under this pretext Western countries, including Canada, introduced several rounds of sanctions against Moscow and suspended Russia's G8 membership.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in Ukraine or Europe, saying Russian threat is a myth cultivated in the West.
Canada and the United States are not taking part in the so-called Normandy format aimed at resolving the Ukrainian crisis.
However, not every G7 member opposes Russia's return to the format. Earlier in June, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed hope that Russia would return to the group, saying that it "it’s not in our interests to retain the G7 format over a long period of time."
