The Oasis Reporters

News on time, everytime

AfricaAnalysisAsiaDiplomatic FrontEuropeLatin AmericaNewsSecurityWorld

Bloc Cohesion





The Oasis Reporters


June 20, 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Foreign Policy (FP)

 

 

 

 

 


From left, European Council President Charles Michel, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pose for a family photo during a welcome ceremony for the 50th G-7 summit in Fasano, Italy, on June 13.Antonio Masiello/Getty Images.



G-7 leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States convened in Fasano, Italy, on Thursday for a three-day summit to present unity in the face of global threats.

 

 

But political turmoil at home underpinned much of their discussions as heads of state and government tried to negotiate agreements that would be difficult for potential future leaders to undo.

 

 


Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is hosting this year’s summit, emerged from European Union parliamentary elections over the weekend as a clear victor. But the other G-7 states face unstable political home fronts. French President Emmanuel Macron called for snap elections on Sunday after the country’s far-right National Rally party outperformed Macron’s own party in the EU elections. And German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was forced to reckon with the far-right Alternative for Germany party becoming the country’s second-most popular party after Europe’s elections concluded.

 



Elsewhere, U.S. President Joe Biden is polling neck-and-neck with former U.S. President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak risks losing snap elections in July to the opposition Labour Party, and both Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are facing growing public discontent.

 

 

 


Still, G-7 leaders attempted to steer the conversation on Thursday toward bloc cohesion in the face of international challenges, particularly Russia’s war in Ukraine.

 

 

For the summit’s first day, they agreed to issue Ukraine a $50 billion loan to help Kyiv rebuild its infrastructure. The loan would be funded using interest from the roughly $280 billion of frozen Russian assets in Western banks.

 

 

 


The deal’s announcement coincides with the United States and Ukraine signing a new security agreement on Thursday that pledges long-term U.S. support for Kyiv. It includes a commitment to work with the U.S. Congress to continue funding Ukraine’s war effort but does not promise to deploy U.S. forces in the event of a future attack.

 

 

 

“By signing this, we’ll also be sending Russia a signal of our resolve,” U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said. “If [Russian President] Vladimir Putin thinks he can outlast the coalition supporting Ukraine, he’s wrong.”

 

 


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the G-7 summit on Thursday.

 

Meloni also invited the leaders of Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, India, Kenya, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates as well as Pope Francis—signaling the bloc’s desire to attract non-Western allies and curb its elitist reputation.

 

 

 

The G-7 plans to also discuss investment in Africa, climate change, global migration, China’s industrial capacity, and the risks of artificial intelligence.
Meanwhile, NATO defense ministers gathered in Brussels on Thursday for a two-day conference to discuss Ukraine’s long-term security.

 

 

 

“The whole idea is to minimize the risk for gaps and delays as we saw earlier this year,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said, referring to the United States’ stalled aid package.

 

 

The holdup “is one of the reasons why the Russians are now able to push and to actually occupy more land in Ukraine.”

 



The meeting follows Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban promising on Wednesday not to veto NATO support for Kyiv, though he reiterated that Budapest would not provide Ukraine with military funds or personnel. NATO itself does not send weapons to Kyiv, but its members jointly make up more than 90 percent of the country’s military support.

 

For further reading:

G-7 Outlines $50 Billion Ukraine Loan Deal, New Security Agreements

 

 

Greg Abolo

Blogger at The Oasis Reporters.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *