President Joe Biden on Sunday lashed Russia’s overnight bombing of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv as he joined the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Germany.
“It’s more of their barbarism,’ he remarked during the official welcome ceremony for G7 leaders high in the Bavaria Alps at Schloss Elmau.
The Russian strikes on a residential area followed bombardments across Ukraine’s north and west on Saturday, including missiles launched from Belarusian airspace.
Biden and his counterparts meanwhile are meeting to discuss how to secure energy supplies and tackle inflation, aiming to keep fallout from the war from splintering the global coalition working to punish Moscow.
They are set to announce new bans on imports of Russian gold, the latest in a series of sanctions the club of democracies hopes will further isolate Russia economically over its invasion of Ukraine, AP reports.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) chats with U.S. President Joe Biden after welcoming him at Elmau Castle, southern Germany, as they meet for bilateral talks on June 26, 2022, at the start of a summit of the Group of Seven rich nations (G7). (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. President Joe Biden (L) receives directions as he and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz walk together towards a welcoming ceremony at Elmau Castle, southern Germany on June 26, 2022 prior to the start of the G7 Summit. (BENOIT TESSIER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“We’ve got to make sure we have us all staying together,” Biden said during a pre-summit sit-down with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who holds the G-7′s rotating presidency and is hosting the gathering.
“You know, we’re gonna continue working on economic challenges that we face but I think we get through all this.”
Other leaders echoed Biden’s call for coalition unity.
The head of the European Union’s council of governments said the 27-member block maintains “unwavering unity” in backing Ukraine against Russia’s invasion with money and political support, but that “Ukraine needs more and we are committed to providing more.”