By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL- As the G7 Summit got underway in Germany on Sunday, G7 leaders kicked off the summit by honing in on the most pressing global crises: the war in Ukraine and global food insecurity. As EU President Ursula von der Leyen commented, the war in Ukraine “will be front and center”at the summit.
Germany holds the presidency of this year’s summit and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz commented that the priority must be “progress towards an equitable world.” Under this theme, a number of issues will be discussed, including: a sustainable planet, sustainable investment, healthier lives and economic stability and transformation.
The summit includes leaders from the seven wealthiest nations: the U.S., Japan, Germany, France, Italy and the UK. Leaders from.these countries will also address combating the ongoing energy crisis as well as the climate emergency.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the summit’s first day- U.S. President Joe Biden announced a major step to further expand sanctions on Russia via Twitter. Biden tweeted that an announcement from G7 leaders will be about banning Russia’s gold imports. Biden said: “Together the G7 will announce we will ban the import of Russian gold,.a major export that takes in tens of billions of dollars.” With regard to Ukraine, von der Leyen said, “we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.” UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson commented it is more crucial than ever to support Ukraine. Johnson is expected to convey the urgency in additional aid needed for Ukraine.
