(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many people in Russia question whether their country belongs in the group of the world’s leading industrialized nations, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 37 per cent of respondents say Russia is a full-fledged member of the G-8, 23 per cent think it is not, and 40 per cent are uncertain.

The G-8 was created after the 1998 Birmingham summit. Russia had attended previous meetings of the G-7, but had been excluded from specific discussions on financial and economic matters. Russia formally joined the group in 1998, resulting in the Group of Eight (G8). The group holds annual summits where the heads of government of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States discuss economic and political affairs. The European Union (EU) also attends these meetings as an observer.

On Jul. 12, Russia and China used their veto power in the United Nations (UN) Security Council to block a series of proposed sanctions against Zimbabwe. United States ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad said Russia had promised to take action against Zimbabwe’s regime during the G-8 meeting in Japan just days before, adding, "The U-turn in the Russian position is particularly surprising and disturbing [and] raises questions about its reliability as a G-8 partner."

Polling Data

In your view, is Russia a full-fledged member of the G-8?

Source: All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted Jun. 28 and Jun. 29, 2008. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.

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