Heading into todays G7 meeting, officials said they expected two areas of primary focus for the group of leaders: determining where they can bolster support for Ukraines air defenses and the uncertain energy situation as winter approaches.
The meeting, which is underway now, had been in the works ahead of Mondays bombardments in Kyiv and other cities but the meeting assumed a new urgency as Russia targeted civilian targets.
Officials have been working on a joint statement from the G7 to release when the meeting concludes, but it wasnt clear that it would include major new joint announcements on sanctions, security assistance or energy independence from Russia. One European official said major deliverables werent expected to come out of the meeting.
Instead, the leaders hope to again demonstrate Western unity as they hear from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who officials expect will continue to call for better air defenses and more sanctions on Russia.
On Monday, Zelensky had separate phone conversations with six of the seven leaders of the G7 US President Joe Biden, Frances Emmanuel Macron, Germanys Olaf Scholz, the UKs Liz Truss, Canadas Justin Trudeau and Italys Mario Draghi.
Biden also spoke with German Chancellor Scholz, the G7 president, this weekend, partly to prepare for today's call. While the White House didnt mention the nuclear threat from Russia in its readout, the topic did arise in the conversation.
