Following 1994 's G7 summit in Naples , Russian officials held separate meetings with leaders of the G7 after the group 's summits . This informal arrangement was dubbed the Political 8 ( P8 ) — or , colloquially , the G7 +1 . At the invitation of UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President Bill Clinton , President Boris Yeltsin was invited first as a guest observer , later as a full participant . It was seen as a way to encourage Yeltsin with his capitalist reforms . Russia formally joined the group in 1998 , resulting in the Group of Eight , or G8
1994 's G7 summit in Naples
20th G7 summit
Group of Eight