Heading into today’s G7 meeting, officials said they expect two key areas of focus for the group of leaders: determining where they can increase support for Ukraine’s air defenses and the energy situation. uncertain amount as winter approaches.
The meeting, which is currently underway, has already been conducted before Monday’s shelling in Kyiv and other cities, but the meeting assumed a new level of urgency as Russia targeted civilian targets.
Officials are working on a joint statement from the G7 to come out when the meeting ends, but it is unclear that it will include new joint announcements on sanctions, security assistance or energy independence from Russia. A European official said large items were not expected to be taken out of the meeting.
Instead, the leaders hoped to once again show Western unity when they heard from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who officials expect will continue to call for better air defense measures. and more sanctions on Russia.
On Monday, Zelensky had private phone conversations with six of the seven leaders of the G7 – US President Joe Biden, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, Britain’s Liz Truss, Canada’s Justin Trudeau and Mario Draghi of Italy.
Biden also spoke with German Chancellor Scholz, the G7 president, later this week, in part to prepare for today’s call. While the White House did not mention the nuclear threat from Russia in its reading, this topic arose in conversation.
