Between ELMAU, Germany –
The last of the G7 summit, the annual meeting of the leading democratic economies, which this year takes place in the German Bavarian Alps.
The group of seven leading democracies officially launched its annual summit, a global partnership for infrastructure and investment, aimed at repelling China’s influence in the developing world.
The G7 program responds to the so-called China One Belt, One Road initiative, which Western officials have long claimed is trapped in host countries with debts and investments that benefit China more than their own. hosts.
The White House says the initiative seeks to attract $ 200 billion in US investment over the next five years, along with a similar amount from G-7 allies, to encourage infrastructure development in lower- and middle-income countries.
It adds that most of the funding will come from the private sector, public wealth and global development funds, rather than direct taxpayer dollars.
The United States says G-7-supported efforts encourage responsible investment that benefits the communities in which it is made.
The first initiatives include a $ 2 billion investment in a solar farm in Angola in Southwest Africa, $ 320 million to build hospitals in Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa and $ 40 million to promote regional energy trade in Southeast Asia.
In a crackdown on China, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the G7 offered “sustainable, quality infrastructure” and would “listen carefully to recipient countries”.
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US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said that Western sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine have a “profound impact”.
He said in an interview with CNN at the G7 summit in Germany on Sunday that “even when (Russia) receives oil revenues at higher prices, it cannot spend them due to export controls.”
He said: Russia “cannot get what it needs to modernize its defense sector, to modernize its technologies, to modernize its energy research, which means that over time, each of these areas will decline. “.
He cited forecasts that the Russian economy would shrink by up to 15% next year.
He added that “the G7 and NATO will continue to do everything possible collectively to ensure that Ukrainians have what they need to repel Russian aggression.”
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Russia’s attacks on apartment buildings in Kyiv show the importance of international unity in support of Ukraine.
Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital early Sunday, hitting at least two apartment buildings. Associated Press reporters in the city saw rescue services fighting the blaze and rescuing civilians
Scholz stressed the current unity of the Group of Seven Industrial Powers, the European Union and NATO in organizing support for Ukraine.
He said on Sunday after hosting the first session of the G-7 summit: “We can say with certainty that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is not complying with this and this is still causing him a headache – the big international support for Ukraine, but of course also the courage and bravery of Ukrainians in defending their own country. “
He added: “That this is a brutal war that Putin is waging, we have now seen again with rocket attacks on houses in Kyiv – this shows that it is right to stand together and support Ukrainians to defend their country, their democracy, their freedom of self-determination . “
Scholz said he and US President Joe Biden agree on what needs to be done.
Scholz, who has been criticized at home and abroad for allegedly reluctant to send heavy weapons to Ukraine, said “Germany and the United States will always act together when it comes to Ukraine’s security issues.”
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Leaders of the Group of Seven summit in Germany joked about what would make them look tougher than Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As G-7 leaders sat down for the opening session of Sunday’s summit, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was heard asking if he should keep his jacket on.
Then Johnson said, “We all need to show that we are tougher than Putin.” And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau added: “Horseback riding with bare breasts.”
Over the years, the Russian president has loved appearing with animals at organized media events. Putin rode a bare-breasted horse, stroked a polar bear, drove a motorized hang glider with cranes, and shot a tiger with a reassuring pistol to mark it with a GPS collar.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its aftermath are in the spotlight at this year’s G-7 summit.
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GARMIS-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany – Activists dressed as leaders of the Group of Seven staged a protest in the town square in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, near the G-7 meeting place.
Dressed in traditional Bavarian clothing and with large heads resembling those of US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other leaders, activists pretended to grill planet Earth on Sunday at the start of the summit.
“We expect a clear signal that they will live up to their commitments under the Paris Agreement and make clear improvements when it comes to climate protection,” said Charlotte Becker of the Oxfam campaign.
The NGO is also demanding a tax on the surplus profits made during the coronavirus pandemic, which it says will generate hundreds of billions of dollars. The money should be used to fight global poverty and hunger, it said.
Police have deployed thousands of staff around the summit in the Bavarian village of Elmau, nearby Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Munich.
Police spokeswoman Carolyn Englert told the German news agency dpa that the protests had been peaceful so far.
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GARMIS-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany – Organizers of a planned rally against the G-7 summit in Ellmau, Germany, say they are taking legal action to lift restrictions that limit their right to peaceful protest.
The German news agency dpa reported on Sunday that a group called Stop G7 Elmau had been told it could hold a protest Monday with up to 50 registered participants, who would be escorted across the high-security border to a 500-meter spot (about 550 yards). ) from the scene.
DPA quoted protest organizer Franz Haslbeck as saying that the protest site did not correspond to a court ruling issued in connection with the last G7 in Ellmau in 2015, according to which protesters should be allowed within the “eye and ear” of the venue.
A series of larger left-wing rallies are set to take place on Monday, far away from where G-7 leaders meet.
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The head of the European Union’s government council says the 27-nation bloc maintains “unshakable unity” in support of Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.
European Council President Charles Michel said the EU was providing Kyiv with money and political support, adding that “Ukraine needs more and we are committed to providing more”.
The EU has imposed six packages of sanctions on Russia, the latest banning 90% of Russia’s crude oil imports by the end of the year. The measure targets Russia’s oil and gas revenues, which are a pillar of the Kremlin’s finances.
Michelle said at the annual summit of the Group of Seven on Sunday that US proposals to limit the price of Russian oil imports are under discussion.
But he warned that “we want to go into the details, we want to refine … to make sure we have a clear understanding of the direct effects” if such a step is taken.
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The wife of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is hosting a reduced gathering of the husbands of the leaders of the Group of Seven in her first big appearance as first lady.
The German government said on Sunday that Britta Ernst would be joined by the wife of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Carrie Johnson; France’s first lady Brigitte Macron; and the wife of European Council President Charles Michel, Amelie Derbaudrengien.
Ernst – a politician in his own right, who is the Minister of Education of the East German state of Brandenburg, where she and her husband live – plans to take her guests on a Scandinavian walk with former professional skiers Christian Neureuter and Miriam Neureiter.
Sessions with climate change researchers and a violin master from nearby Mittenwald are also planned.
US First Lady Jill Biden plans to join President Joe Biden in Madrid, where he will attend a NATO summit starting on Tuesday.
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US President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin had hoped the West would “split” as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continued.
But Biden praised the allies, who stood together and faced the Kremlin during the four months of war, imposing sanctions on Russia while sending weapons to Ukraine.
Congratulating German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday, Biden praised his counterpart for helping to keep up the pressure on Russia and called on him to continue to do so – a central message from Biden’s five-day trip to meet with allies at summits in Germany and Spain. .
“We have to stay together because Putin has hoped from the beginning that somehow NATO and the G-7 will split,” Biden said. – But we are not and we will not do it.
Biden added: “We cannot allow this aggression to take the form it has and get away with it.”
Scholz, who hosts the annual summit of the Group of Seven in the Bavarian Alps, greeted Biden on a balcony overlooking what the American leader called a “magnificent” view of lush greenery and towering peaks.
Biden blamed Scholz for helping lead the European in opposing Russia, saying his tough response “had a major impact on the movement in the rest of Europe.”
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The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on his colleagues from the group of seven not to succumb to the “fatigue” of the war in Ukraine.
Johnson expressed concern …
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