BARI, Italy (AP) — The summit of the Group of Seven nations opened Thursday with a consensus to support a U.S. proposal. $50 billion loan to Ukraine They are using frozen Russian assets as collateral and signalling strong support for Kiev even as the European political chessboard shifts to the right.
Diplomats confirmed the agreement had been reached before the leaders arrived in southern Italy for the three-day summit, which will also see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sign a separate bilateral security pact with U.S. President Joe Biden.
Beyond the Ukrainian War Pope Francis The pope will be the first to address a G7 summit, adding a dash of prestige and moral authority to the annual meeting, which is being held this year in Italy’s sun-drenched Puglia region. He said on Friday The Promises and Dangers of Artificial IntelligenceBut renewed calls for a peaceful end are also expected. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine And that The war between Israel and Hamas In Gaza.
The G7 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the U.S. Italy, which is hosting the summit, has invited several African leaders, including the president of Algeria. Abdelmadjid TebbouneHe met with Kenyan President William Ruto and Tunisian President Kais Saied, and promoted Italy’s development and migration efforts on the continent.
Other guests included the President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvanewly elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
With Biden, British Chancellor Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron all facing elections in the coming months, pressure was mounting on the G7 to do all they can while the status quo lasts.
Russian assets frozen for aiding Ukraine
The US proposal is $50 billion loan to aid Ukraine The idea is to use interest earned from profits on Russia’s frozen central bank assets (most of which are held in the European Union) as collateral in the fight against Russia.
A French official told reporters on Wednesday that a political decision had been taken by leaders. Technical and legal details The mechanism for leveraging the assets is still being worked out. The issue is complicated because if Russia’s assets are ever unfrozen — say, if the war ends — the windfall will not be able to be used to repay the debt, and burden-sharing arrangements with other countries will be needed.
In addition to the agreement, Sunak announced up to 242 million pounds (286 million euros, $310 million) in non-military aid for Ukraine in the form of humanitarian, energy and stabilisation assistance. Washington also sent a strong signal of support, Expanding sanctions against Russia Targeting Chinese companies that support the country’s military.
Europe’s New Political Chessboard
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni comes to the meeting with solid support at home and abroad, after her far-right party won even stronger support in the European Parliament elections than it did in the 2022 general election, and she became the country’s first female prime minister. Italy, known for its turnover of governments, is currently in the unusual position of being the EU’s most stable large country.
The leaders of the G7’s other two EU member states, Germany and France, did not fare much better, spooked by the strong showings of their far-right parties in the polls. He suddenly called a general election. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz His Social Democrats ended up lagging behind mainstream conservatives and the far-right Alternative for Germany.
That will allow Meloni to focus the three-day conference on his key priorities as he further cements his role on the world stage, analysts said.One sign of Meloni’s flexing his far-right muscles was his office’s denial of media reports that Italy was seeking to water down language on abortion access in the final communique.
A French official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with Macron’s office’s custom, said there were differences with Italian negotiators on several issues, including sexual and reproductive health and vaccines.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani acknowledged that the abortion issue was being discussed but said the discussions were ongoing.
“While the recent election results are unlikely to fundamentally change the focus of the upcoming G7 summit, a victory in this election gives Prime Minister Meloni further leverage to position this as essentially a ‘Mediterranean summit,'” said Nick O’Connell, vice president of the Atlantic Council.
This includes promoting immigration policy, as Meloni seeks to use his plan for a non-exploitative relationship with Africa to promote development while at the same time curbing illegal migration to Europe.
The Pope and Artificial Intelligence
Pope Francis said, International Treaties It ensures that AI is developed and used ethically, and while acknowledging the potential that AI offers, it highlights the significant, existential threats it poses.
He will take this campaign to developed nations around the world as war rages on multiple fronts, and one of his biggest concerns is the use of AI. Munitions Department, This is an issue that has been frequently focused on by the Jesuit pope, who has even referred to traditional arms manufacturers as “merchants of death.”
But Pope Francis is also concerned about what AI means for the poorest and most vulnerable: technology that could determine things like the trustworthiness of a mortgage applicant, an immigrant’s right to political asylum, or the likelihood of reoffending for someone previously convicted of a crime.
Where is it happening?
The G7 summit is taking place in a sprawling luxury resort, a fictional town modelled on the whitewashed medieval villages of Puglia that looks like a theatre set, but was actually built only in 2010.
Next to the actual archaeological park, Borgo Egnasia has narrow streets, villas, restaurants and a square with a clock tower. A favourite with celebrities, it’s off-limits to outsiders during the summit.
No such five-star hotel awaits the more than 2,000 police and National Police Service troops deployed to guard the area: on Wednesday authorities seized a decommissioned cruise ship housing them in the port of Brindisi after police unions complained about unacceptable hygiene conditions on board.
As with any G7 event, anti-earth, anti-war and environmental activists have been protesting around the summit site, but far from where the leaders are gathering. One group is organizing a “Dinner for the Poor” on Friday night to protest “for peace, for people’s rights and against the Big 7 who claim to decide the fate of the world and the planet.”
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Angela Charlton and Sylvie Corbet contributed to this report from Paris.
