Germany Hosts G-7

A two-day summit of the G-7 leading industrial nations concluded today.

Leaders of the United States, Germany, Britain, Japan, France, Italy and Canada met in the Bavarian Alps of southern Germany, along with leaders from Iraq, Nigeria and Tunisia.

After meetings today, U.S. President Barack Obama said attendees agreed that economic sanctions against Russia should remain in place until Moscow fully implements a ceasefire with Ukraine, which it has violated repeatedly. He stated, “With respect to security, the G-7 remains strongly united in support for Ukraine. … As we’ve seen again in recent days, Russian forces continue to operate in eastern Ukraine, violating Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is now the second year in a row the G-7 has met without Russia. Another example of Russia’s isolation and every member of the G-7 continues to maintain sanctions on Russia for its aggression against Ukraine.”

Other issues President Obama said the G-7 agree on include the need to approve a strong global climate agreement later this year in Paris—the need to help Greece carry out key reforms to avoid economic default—and the need to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.