A group of major industrial countries that was started in 1994 when Russia joined the Group of Seven (G-7) at the groupÂ’s 1994 Naples Summit. At that time, and in 1997 at the Denver Summit, Russia participated only in political conversations, not economic ones. However, Russia joined as a full member in 1998 at the Birmingham Summit. The other member countries are the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Japan, France, Germany, and Italy.