BORGO EGNAZIA, Italy (AP) — A summit meeting of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations is expected to focus on migration on its second day Friday, seeking ways to combat trafficking and increase investment in countries from where migrants start out on often life-threatening journeys.
Migration is a priority for summit host Italy and its right-wing Premier Giorgia Meloni, who's seeking to increase investment and funding for African nations as a means of reducing migratory pressure on Europe.
The gathering in a luxury resort in Italy’s southern Puglia region is also focusing on global conflicts and the spread of artificial intelligence. Perennial issues such as climate change and China also will be discussed. As the summit opened on Thursday, attendees promised tens of billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine.
But some divisions also appeared to emerge over the wording of the summit’s final declaration, with disagreement reported over the inclusion of a reference to abortion.
The G7 is an informal forum with an annual summit to discuss economic policy and security issues. The members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Currently:
— Italian Premier Meloni opens G7 summit with agreement to back a $50 billion loan to Ukraine
— In Italy’s Puglia region, women take the lead in challenging the local mafia at great personal risk
— US pushes for Ukraine aid, united front against China’s trade practices at G7 finance meeting
— Pope Francis, the first pontiff to address a G7 summit, will raise the alarm over AI
Here’s the latest:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has denounced the freezing of Russian assets by the West as “theft” and vowed that it “will not go unpunished."
Putin’s remarks at the Russian Foreign Ministry Friday came on the heels of a deal by the Group of Seven industrialized nations for a $50 billion loan package for Ukraine using frozen Russian assets.
Putin accused Western countries of “now thinking about some kind of legal basis in order to completely appropriate” frozen assets and foreign exchange reserves. The Russian president said ”despite all the scheming, theft will remain theft, and it will not go unpunished.”
He added that the move made it “obvious to all countries and companies, sovereign funds that their assets and reserves are far from safe” in the West.
The G7 agreed on Thursday to lock up sanctioned Russian assets until Moscow pays reparations for invading Ukraine. That paves the way for the announcement of the loan agreement that will leverage interest and income from the more than $260 billion in frozen Russian assets, largely held in Europe to secure the $50 billion sum.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to preview the agreement, said the first disbursements will be made this year.
BARI, Italy — A senior EU official has confirmed that the word “abortion” will not be in the final communique of the Group of Seven leaders.
It was removed after host Italy lobbied to remove it. Abortion, which has been legal in Italy since 1978, is new on the political agenda of far-right Premier Giorgia Meloni's government.
The final communique does contain reference to promoting sexual and reproductive health rights. The EU official says: “It was not possible to reach agreement on these things in the room.”
The text does make reference to the final communique of the last G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, which included a lengthy section on abortion, gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights, but doesn’t repeat it.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said “it’s true, the text is not reflecting what was agreed in Hiroshima."
BORGO EGNAZIA, Italy — President Joe Biden will meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis on Friday before heading back to the U.S. later in the day for a Hollywood fundraiser for his presidential campaign. He will skip Saturday's summit events.
On Thursday, Biden attended four working sessions and a discussion on his investment initiative and he watched a skydiving demonstration along with the other leaders.
He also met with Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy where the two signed a security agreement and held a press conference.
Biden did not attend a G7 leaders’ dinner on Thursday evening. White House aides say that he tries to meet with as many leaders and attend as many events as possible, but it doesn’t always work out and said the U.S. leader’s evening capped with the Ukraine agreement.
Switzerland is also hosting a Ukrainian peace summit this weekend, but Biden is not attending. Vice President Kamala Harris will go in his place.
BORGO EGNAZIA, Italy — U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a security agreement on Thursday during the Group of Seven summit, sending what they described as a message of unified opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“He cannot wait us out,” Biden said. “He cannot divide us.”
Zelenskyy said the agreement demonstrated the “credibility of American support for our Ukrainian independence.”
Ukraine has been eager for fresh assistance to hold the line against Russia, which has recently made gains on the battlefield during a bloody war that’s in its third year.
BARI, Italy — The leaders of Ukraine and Japan have signed a 10-year agreement under which Japan will provide assistance in the fields of security, defense, humanitarian aid, reconstruction and technical and financial support.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio signed the accord on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in southern Italy on Thursday.
Zelenskyy said Japan would provide $4.5 billion for Ukraine this year. A text of the deal released by the Japanese Embassy in Italy said Japan has committed and provided more than $12 billion in financial, humanitarian and other assistance since March 2022.
Under the agreement, Japan will support Ukraine with the provision of non-lethal equipment and goods, cooperate in the field of intelligence and provide support in reconstruction and recovery, as well as providing assistance in the medical and health fields, among others.
“For Japan, this type of agreement and this level of support is a breakthrough,” Zelenskyy wrote on the social media platform X. “We see this and thank Japan for its unwavering solidarity with our country and people.”
BORGO EGNAZIA, Italy — The United States and European countries have agreed to lock up sanctioned Russian assets until Moscow pays reparations for invading Ukraine, a senior U.S. official said Thursday.
The consensus clears the way for leaders to announce a $50 billion loan package for Ukraine during the Group of Seven summit that began Thursday in Italy.
The highly anticipated agreement will leverage interest and income from the more than $260 billion in frozen Russian assets, largely held in Europe, to secure a $50 billion loan from the U.S. along with additional loans from other partners.
The first disbursements will be made this year, the official said, adding that it will take time for Ukraine to use all the money.
The U.S. official spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the agreement, which will be included in the G7 leaders’ statement on Friday.
President Joe Biden will meet on Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss a bilateral security agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine.
— By Colleen Long, Darlene Superville and Zeke Miller
LONDON — Britain has announced new sanctions designed to degrade Russia’s ability to wage war in Ukraine, targeting entities based in China, Israel, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey, as well as the Russian energy industry.
The sanctions announced at the start of Thursday’s G7 summit apply to 50 companies and individuals involved in supplying munitions, machine tools, microelectronics, and logistics to the Russian military, together with ships transporting military goods from North Korea to Russia.
Britain also said it was targeting the “shadow fleet” of ships used to circumvent G7 sanctions on the Russia oil and natural gas industry. The U.K. Foreign Office said this is particularly important because taxes on oil production accounted for 31% of the Russian government’s revenue last year.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement that the U.K. “will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine in its fight for freedom.’’
Sunak added that Russian President Vladimir Putin “must lose, and cutting off his ability to fund a prolonged conflict is absolutely vital.”
BORGO EGNAZIA, Italy — U.S. officials say that Italy is joining a rail corridor project in Africa as part of a collaborative effort by the Group of Seven nations to fund infrastructure projects.
The Lobito corridor is a railway line that will connect southern and central Africa. Not just railway, the project will also bring telecommunication cables and other infrastructure to the region.
It’s projected eventually to go from Angola to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The investment project is meant to serve as an alternative to China’s development efforts, which the U.S. and its allies say China uses to exert influence on developing nations.
BARI, Italy — Pope Francis will be meeting a series of world leaders on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in southern Italy.
Francis, who will be the first pope to address a G7 summit, will kick off his bilateral talks shortly after arriving at the summit location. He will meet Friday with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as with the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva.
The pope has previously met with Zelenskyy but caused a stir earlier this year when he said that Ukraine should have the “courage of the white flag” to negotiate an end of the war with Russia. Kyiv summoned the Holy See ambassador to complain.
After delivering a speech at the G7 summit, the pope will continue his meetings with Kenyan President William Ruto, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
BARI, Italy — Officials say the world’s seven wealthiest democracies have agreed on lending Ukraine up to $50 billion using frozen Russian assets as collateral.
Diplomats confirmed the agreement, which was struck before Thursday’s start of the three-day G7 summit that brings together Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also sign a bilateral security agreement during the summit.
European officials have resisted confiscating the assets, citing legal and financial stability concerns. But the plan would use the interest earned on the assets to help Ukraine’s war effort.
The U.S. proposal involves using profits from the roughly $260 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets, most of them held in the European Union, to help Ukraine.
The U.S. would issue Ukraine the $50 billion loan using windfall profits from the immobilized funds as collateral.
