Status: 06/28/2022 07:37 a.m
The G7 summit in Elmau ends later today. Chancellor Scholz is expected to make a final statement in the early afternoon. Several participants travel directly to the NATO summit in Madrid.
The G7 summit in Elmau, Bavaria is about to end – the war against Ukraine and the global consequences will also shape the program on the third day. A last working session is about the “multilateral and digital order” – also with a view to the G20 summit of large industrialized and emerging countries in November in Indonesia.
The Russian attack on Ukraine had dominated the G7 meeting since Sunday. The group of large industrialized countries pledged unlimited support to Ukraine on Monday and announced a tightening of its sanctions against Russia.
A final declaration and a press conference by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz are expected from midday. Other summit participants will also comment on the conclusion of the summit.
NATO summit from Wednesday in Madrid
The Ukraine war will also be a central topic at the NATO summit in Madrid starting Wednesday, where the heads of state and government of the 30 NATO countries will meet until Thursday. Scholz, US President Joe Biden and other heads of government travel there directly from Elmau.
During the deliberations in Spain, the pressure on Russia should be increased and a new strategic concept decided. The inclusion of Sweden and Finland should also be discussed.
New sanctions against Russia
On the second day of the meeting, the topics of climate, energy and health as well as the war in Ukraine were on the agenda.
The G7 agreed to continue providing financial, military, humanitarian and diplomatic support to Ukraine. They also announced new sanctions against Russia, including against its defense industry. “We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand by Ukraine for as long as necessary,” they said in a joint statement.
For this year, the G7 pledged financial aid of up to 29.5 billion US dollars (around 28 billion euros). The aim was to support the country in closing its financing gap and in guaranteeing services of general interest for the population, the paper said. It remains unclear whether it is a grant or a loan.
G7 leaders meeting: what did the second day of the summit bring?
Johannes Reichart, BR, daily topics 10:30 p.m., June 28, 2022
The Ukrainian President Selenskyj was connected via video in Elmau. He welcomed the planned tightening of sanctions, with Kyiv placing particular emphasis on a price cap for Russian oil exports. However, Zelenskyi also made other specific demands: real security guarantees for his country, the delivery of modern missile defense systems and other weapons, and help with reconstruction.
Famine big issue
With a view to the impending famine, Scholz said in an interview that the G7 countries are making intensive efforts to enable grain exports from Ukraine. The issue is causing the G7 greatest concern and they want to help. Money should also be used to ensure that hunger crises are avoided.
Ukraine and Russia are the world’s largest wheat exporters. They usually cover almost a third of global demand – but because Russia is currently blocking the Ukrainian ports, a lot of grain cannot be exported. According to the World Food Program, 50 million people worldwide are on the brink of starvation.
Agreements on climate protection
The G7 round also agreed joint efforts for climate protection with the host countries. The aim is to “accelerate a clean and just transition to climate neutrality while ensuring energy security,” said a joint statement published by the federal government.
According to information from the dpa news agency, the members will make it clear in the final declaration of the summit that they continue to regard the so-called Paris Agreement as a guideline for their actions. In December 2015, the countries of the world agreed to make efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees if possible.