"Italy did not make an invitation to Vladimir Putin to visit the upcoming G7 summit in Taormina. But we should try to intensify the dialogue [with Russia], and Italy can do it as G7 president, but there is no talk of an invitation [to the G7 summit]," Gentiloni told reporters in London.
The G7, consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, was joined by Russia in 1998. Moscow's accession to the group of major economies turned the G7 into the Group of Eight (G8).
In 2014, the G8 members refused to come to the Russian southwestern city of Sochi, venue of the G8 regular summit, citing disagreements over the Ukrainian crisis, and have been meeting in the seven-state format since then.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has repeatedly said that Moscow did not intend to take any steps to get back to the G8 group.
