(Rome) G7 leaders are meeting this week in Italy in a context of strong international tensions with the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and political turbulence in the United States and Europe.
US President Joe Biden and the other heads of state or government of the world’s seven richest nations are expected to visit the luxurious seaside resort of Borgo Egnazia in Puglia from Thursday to Saturday.
This summit comes at a delicate moment, both on a global level, with the wars raging in Ukraine and Gaza, and on a political level, since Mr. Biden, the French Emmanuel Macron and the British Rishi Sunak are all facing perilous electoral deadlines in the weeks and months to come.
The head of the Italian executive, Giorgia Meloni, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the G7, also invited a dozen leaders not belonging to the group, from Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan to India’s Narendra Modi. Pope Francis will also be present on Friday to speak on artificial intelligence.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, expected on Thursday, will once again ask Western allies for more help. The Ukrainian army, lacking ammunition and men, is struggling, particularly due to the delay in the delivery of Western military aid.
US pushes G7 to give Ukraine up to $50 billion in loans guaranteed by interest on 300 billion euros in Russian central bank assets frozen by EU and G7 countries .
But many questions remain, including who would issue the debt and what would happen if the assets were released in the event of a peace deal.
A “High Level Conference on Peace in Ukraine”, its official name, will take place in Switzerland following the G7.
The United States will be represented by Vice President Kamala Harris. At the end of May, Volodymyr Zelensky urged Mr. Biden to participate, saying that his absence would be tantamount to “applauding” Vladimir Putin.
In Italy, G7 leaders are also expected to discuss concerns about China’s support for Russia’s military expansion and what they see as growing and worrying cooperation between Moscow and North Korea.
The meeting officially lasts three days, but the working sessions will end on Friday.
The summit, which will also include the British Rishi Sunak, the German Olaf Scholz and the Canadian Justin Trudeau, must also address the war between Hamas and Israel.
Last week, G7 leaders approved a proposed peace deal that includes an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, increased aid to the Palestinians and research of a solution based on the coexistence of two States.
The summit agenda also includes discussions on tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as economic security, including growing trade tensions between China and Western countries over green technologies.
Other leaders announced in Italy include Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Emirati Presidents Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Brazilian Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Argentinian Javier Milei, as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
All guests are invited to a Friday evening dinner, including a show, at the luxury Borgo Egnazia resort, built in the style of a traditional village.
Security measures should be extremely strict around this isolated location, deliberately chosen far from demonstrators and journalists, whose press center is located no less than sixty kilometers away, in the city of Bari.