U.S., allies discussing Russia’s removal from G20

The Biden administration and U.S. allies are discussing whether Russia should be removed from the G20 group of countries that tackles global economic issues, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News.

While the U.S. isn’t actively pushing for it, Russia’s removal probably won’t happen in part because China and India, which are G20 members, would likely block the efforts, the three sources said. The G20 is made up of 19 countries and the European Union.

Still, the issue has been discussed at the National Security Council and at a meeting that U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo held last week with Polish Economy Minister Piotr Nowak.

Poland has publicly pushed for Russia’s ouster, but a Commerce Department spokesperson said Raimondo “did not express a position on behalf of the U.S. Government” regarding Poland’s proposal to kick Russia out.

Calls to remove Russia have grown amid concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the G20 summit in November in Indonesia.

Russia was kicked out of the G8, which mainly focuses on politics, in 2014 after it invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. The group became the G7.