World leaders seek united front for Ukraine at key summits as war rages
- From Sunday to Tuesday, the Group of Seven leading economic powers will hold their annual summit in Germany
- Nato leaders will then gather in Madrid, with a stand-off over the membership hopes of Finland and Sweden looming large
World leaders including US President Joe Biden will seek to close ranks at back-to-back summits from Sunday on offering emphatic support to help Ukraine repel Russian invaders as the relentless war puts international unity to the test.
In the face-to-face talks, the allies will take stock of the effectiveness of sanctions imposed so far against Vladimir Putin’s Russia, consider possible new military and financial aid for Ukraine, and begin turning their eye to longer-term reconstruction plans.
But they will also be struggling to maintain a united front as the fallout from the war – from soaring inflation to looming food shortages to fears over energy supplies – tug at their resolve.
Ahead of the summit of G7 most industrialised nations which will be hosted from Sunday at the Bavarian mountain resort of Elmau Castle, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that allies would need stamina in shoring up Ukraine.
“The truth is, we are still far from negotiations between Ukraine and Russia” because Putin “still believes in the possibility of a dictated peace”, Scholz said on Wednesday.
“It is therefore all the more important that we stay firmly on course – with our sanctions, with internationally coordinated arms deliveries, with our financial support for Ukraine.”