Senior officials of the Group of Seven industrialized nations are unlikely to devise a program at their weekend meeting to assist the troubled Russian economy, Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa said Tuesday.
Miyazawa told a news conference the G-7 -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States -- cannot decide on any action unless Moscow makes clear what it wants them to do.
"We don't know what we can do to help Russia before Russia clarifies what it wants," he said. "The upcoming meeting will probably serve as an occasion only to compare notes on the situation in Russia."
He said Russia's political and economic turmoil will continue for a little longer and that the G-7 will be unable to prepare any specific aid program for the country as a result.
Senior foreign and finance officials of the G-7 are scheduled to meet in London on Saturday to discuss Russia's economic crisis.