Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that G7 and G8 formats are ineffective when it comes to discussing international problems.

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MOSCOW (Sputnik)The G7 and G8 formats are ineffective when it comes to discussing international problems, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.

“Of course, at this time, gathering in groups of seven or eight and effectively discussing the world’s problems is impossible,” Peskov told reporters.

The spokesman added that Russian President Vladimir Putin currently is focused on working in other formats that better reflect the real balance of forces on the international economic arena.

On Sunday, the G7 summit began in Bavaria, Germany, bringing together the United States, France, Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and Germany.

Until 2014, the format was known as G8, as it also included Moscow. Following Crimea's reunification with Russia and the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014, Moscow was suspended from the group.

Despite the fact that Western countries' anti-Russia sanctions are high on the agenda of the summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has noted that cooperation with Russia was necessary to solve major international issues. She cited the talks on Iran's controversial nuclear program and the Syrian crisis as examples.

The G7 summit coincided with the first-ever BRICS Parliamentary Forum hosted by Moscow, uniting lawmakers from five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. BRICS will hold a summit in Russia's Ufa in July.