G8
The
Group of Eight was the name of a forum for the governments of a group of eight leading industrialised countries, that was originally formed by six leading industrialised countries and subsequently extended with two additional members. Russia, which was invited to join as the last member, was excluded from the forum by the other members on March 24, 2014, as a result of its involvement in the 2014 Crimea crisis in Ukraine. Thus the group now comprises seven nations and will continue to meet as the G7 group of nations. The forum originated with a 1975 summit hosted by France that brought together representatives of six governments: France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, thus leading to the name
Group of Six or
G6. The summit became known as the
Group of Seven or
G7 the following year with the addition of Canada. The G7 is composed of the seven wealthiest developed countries on Earth, and it remained active even during the period of the G8. Russia was added to the group from 1998 to 2014, which then became known as the G8. The European Union is represented within the G8 but cannot host or chair summits.