Who are the G7 countries, and why is Ruto attending the G7 Summit
By Cynthia Lodite, June 17, 2026The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal bloc of some of the world’s largest advanced economies that meet annually to discuss global economic, political, security, and environmental issues.
This year, France is holding the rotating presidency of the G7 nations at the G7 Summit in Évian, France.
The G7 nations comprise Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US. The summit this year comes amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and the Middle East conflict.
Among the key agenda items of the discussion at the two-day summit in the French town, leaders are expected to address the situations in Ukraine and Iran, as well as global economic challenges.
United States President Donald Trump has joined world leaders at the summit after announcing a tentative deal with Iran to end the war.
on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Évian, France.PHOTO/@WilliamsRuto/X.
Who is attending the summit this year?
Besides leaders of the G7 countries and the European Union, which is also represented at the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron has invited several heads of state from non-G7 countries as guests.
These include President William Ruto, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
While the leaders of India, Ukraine, Egypt and Qatar have confirmed their attendance, leaders of Australia, Brazil and South Korea are also attending.
Worth noting, in March of 2026, South Africa announced that it had been disinvited from this year’s summit after initially being invited.
Besides world leaders, AI executives from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and Mistral AI are expected to attend
Why is Ruto at G7 summit
President Ruto is the only African head of State invited to the G7 Leaders’ Summit, where he will champion Africa’s economic agenda and push for sweeping reforms to the global financial system.
In a statement by the State House on Monday, June 15, 2026, President Ruto received a personal invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron, adding that the invite reflects Kenya’s growing influence in global affairs and its role in advancing the interests of Africa and the Global South on the international stage.
Ruto is expected to present Africa’s common position as shaped during May 2026 Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, which laid out the continent’s priorities on economic transformation, financial reform, climate action and digital development.