President William Ruto, on Monday, June 15, confirmed that he would be leaving the country for France to attend the 2026 G7 Summit.
Speaking at the State House, Nairobi, Ruto confirmed that he would be making a keynote address during the summit to push for a new system of international governance and international financial architecture.
He intimated that his address will appeal to the G7 countries (USA, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom) on fair sovereign engagement.
"It is the same conversation we will be having tomorrow in France, about fairness and how we treat each other.
"Personally, I will be taking a very candid position, that as a people, we don't want a relationship based on dependence. We want a relationship based on sovereign equality," he stated.
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The Head of State disclosed that he will push for relationships of mutual benefit partnerships between African countries and other countries.
"We don't want a relationship based on the extraction of our resources, but on investments that benefit us and those who are investing in us," he stated.
Ruto claimed that under the current United Nations, some countries are being treated more equally than others. He stated that it was no longer tenable or acceptable to have an organisation that is not representative, democratic or accountable.
The G7 Summit is scheduled to take place between June 15 and 17 in Évian-les-Bains, a town in France.
The key focus areas in the country include the Iran Conflict, the Ukraine War, and the stabilising global energy markets.
Ruto is among the leaders from non-G7 nations invited to ensure global participation and address the economic reset initiatives.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani have also been invited for the economic forum.
The trip comes amid concern over the Head of State's multiple international trips. However, Ruto explained that he was Kenya's chief diplomat and added that he was going on trips to advance the country's interests, not for leisure.
