G7 kicks off in Brussels
June 4, 2014
Leaders from the United States, Germany, France, Britain, Canada, Japan and Italy have sat down to dinner at the start of G7 talks in Brussels. Russian President Vladimir Putin was conspicuous in his absence, particularly as Russia technically holds the G8 Presidency in 2014.
The leaders voted in March to suspend Russia and rename the group from G8 to G7, in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea.
In an address to the German parliament on Wednesday afternoon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Russia's behavior in annexing Crimea had made the suspension "unavoidable."
The remaining member nations decided to move the two-day summit to Brussels. It had been scheduled to take place in the Russian resort town of Sochi.
Obama condemns Russia's "dark tactics"
Earlier on Wednesday, speaking in Warsaw, Obama condemned what he called the “dark tactics” being employed by President Putin in Ukraine.
Obama met Ukraine's president-elect Petro Poroshenko in Warsaw and promised ongoing US support. Condemning Russia's actions, he vowed to protect ex-Soviet states in NATO.
"As we've been reminded by Russia's aggression in Ukraine, our free nations cannot be complacent in pursuit of the vision we share - a Europe that is whole and free and at peace," Obama said.
On Wednesday Ukrainian government forces continued the battle against pro-Russian separatists with artillery and automatic weapons, as fighting raged for a second straight day in and around Ukraine's eastern town of Slovyansk. The Ukrainian government is trying to quash rebellions by pro-Russia militias which it fears could lead to dismemberment of the country. Kyiv accuses Russia of orchestrating the rebellions.
Obama encouraged Putin to accept Poroshenko's invitation to hold talks when both leaders attend Friday's commemoration of the World War II D-Day landings in Normandy, France.
Putin is due to hold one-on-one talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Britain's David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of the 70th anniversary ceremonies.
European Jihadists on Syrian front.
The two-day summit will cover economics, trade, climate and energy policy.
One of the most sensitive discussions will be over energy security in Europe, which relies on Russia for around a third of its oil and gas.
The G7 leaders are also expected to address how to guard against the threat of attacks by European jihadists returning home from the Syrian front, diplomats said.
In the wake of a fatal shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels, British and French diplomatic sources said the matter would be raised.
The man suspected of the May 24 attack in Brussels, who killed three people outright and left a fourth clinically dead, had spent more than a year fighting in Syria.
crh/hc (AP, Reuters, AFP)