Article author:
Associated Press
Darlene Superville
Washington (AP) — This weekend's European Continuous World Leaders Summit unites the Western nations behind Ukraine in the fight against Russia Focus on letting Finland and Sweden invade and overcome Turkey's opposition to the Associated Press.
A group of seven major economic powers, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, will hold an annual rally in the Bavarian Alps of Germany from Sunday to Tuesday. This year's G7 replacement president.
After the G7, leaders from 30 NATO alliances will meet at the annual summit in Madrid from Wednesday to Thursday.
Let's take a look at some of the key issues and themes on the table as President Joe Biden prepares to attend both summits.
Ukraine Unification
Russia's war in Ukraine is imminent on a large scale Leaders have devastated Ukraine and put many of Europe and the world in economic and other crises At both summits as we are planning a united front against the Kremlin invasion.
Countries that participated in a series of rallies sent billions of dollars of aid and weapons to Ukraine, closing their ranks with their fierce condemnation of Russia's President Vladimir Putin's invasion.
Ukraine was further boosted on Thursday when European Union leaders swiftly and unanimously approved an application to become a candidate to join the block in 27 countries. I did.
The US and European Union have imposed economic sanctions that damage the oligarchs of Moscow and Putin, but major markets, including China and India, continue to buy Russian oil, the effects of western sanctions. Is weakening.
Finland and Sweden NATO
The main open issue of the NATO Summit is the membership of Finland and Sweden.
Russia's war in Ukraine surprised both Nordic countries so much that it abandoned its long-standing neutral policy and applied for a military alliance. All 30 member countries must approve the application. NATO Secretary-General Jason Stoltenberg supported the bid, and Biden showed his strong support by welcoming leaders from both countries in the Oval Office.
But Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has so far opposed accession and changed his position against Kurdish rebels, which Turkey considers to be terrorists. It puts pressure on both countries and stagnates rapid entry.
All sides have sought ways to overcome the deadlock, but it was an unresolved question whether Erdogan's concerns could address satisfaction in Madrid. Sweden and Finland will be invited to attend.
Countering China
NATO, founded to contain the Soviet Union, will declare for the first time that confronting the rise of China is also part of its mission.
In Madrid, the alliance announces a new "strategic concept". This is the first update of the Guiding Principles since 2010 and explicitly refers to tackling challenges from China. The alliance also invited Pacific leaders from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia to the summit.
This document is in the United States' efforts to expand the focus of the alliance to China under multiple presidents, even in the face of increasingly warlike Russia. It shows an important milestone.
The Biden administration claims that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has "consolidated" democracy over threats from both Moscow and Beijing dictatorships.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accused NATO of trying to "start a new Cold War" and accused the alliance of "a line of ideology that could cause conflict." I will pull it. "
CLIMATE
G-7 Economy leaders put a rubber stamp on a new climate change package that effectively demands to stop burning coal for electricity by 2035 I will transparently report on fossil fuel subsidies. And ensure that electric cars dominate new car sales by the end of the decade.
G7 senior executives also need to provide additional financial assistance to developing countries to deal with the losses and damage already caused by global warming. I admitted it for the first time. Wealthy nations have long resisted such movements. I'm afraid I could end up paying a lot of money for decades of greenhouse gas emissions.
Poor countries are hoping that the G7 will put in real money, seeing the $ 100 billion past commitment to climate aid fail by 2020.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz supports the idea of an international "climate club" where members agree on minimum standards to avoid patchwork of rules and tariffs related to emissions. I want it.
ENERGY
Russia sees Europe's need for natural gas as a wedge problem that could undermine the alliance that supports Ukraine. This means Biden needs to bring as much liquefied natural gas as possible from the United States to Europe and will need a new terminal for transportation. Natural gas prices in the US futures market have risen about 70% so far this year.
Russia is also a major oil producer, with the war raising global benchmark prices by about 40% so far this year and rising gasoline prices in the United States and around the world. I am.
Biden sees nearly $ 5 a gallon of gas in the United States as a risk to Democrats heading for the midterm elections. This is a preview of the risks European leaders may face this winter due to the cost of natural gas.
Natural gas shortages and rising prices are putting significant financial pressure on Germany, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, Bulgaria, Finland, the Czech Republic and Denmark in particular.
Russia has reduced the export of natural gas needed for power generation and heating. As a result, Germany, which relied on Russia for 35% of its gas imports, demanded that its factories reduce its electricity usage and shift to coal. Source of energy.
Food Security
Summit participants will also discuss how the Russian war is affecting global food security.
Russia is blocking about 20 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain from shipping to the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia, deteriorating hunger and food security in these regions. May cause you to. There are also concerns about global fertilizer shortages.
In response, Western countries have promised billions of dollars in support. The United Nations is working on an agreement that will allow Ukraine to export food, including via the Black Sea, and Russia to bring food and fertilizer to the global market without restrictions.
Europe is also aiming to increase rail and truck transport to bring Ukrainian food to the world, but that effort occupies only a small part of the capacity of the Black Sea ports.
Russia has accused Western sanctions of the crisis, but measures imposed by Europeans banned the import and transport of Russian agricultural products or the payment of Russian imports. Not done.
Global Inflation and Economy
The effects of rising food and energy costs have plunged much of Europe into a recession, with high inflation and a serious recession in Germany and other countries. risk.
G7 leaders may focus on ways to drive growth while controlling inflation. This is a unique challenge for central banks to raise interest rates and delay economic activity.
The euro's value has fallen against the US dollar over the past year as multiple reports indicate stagnation.
Meanwhile, Biden has also evaded predictions by top economists that the US may be in recession. He told The Associated Press in an interview last week that the recession was "unavoidable."
But to avoid a recession, the Federal Reserve needs to raise benchmark rates in order to reduce inflation from its 40-year high without spikes in unemployment.
Domestic Shadow
Biden will arrive at both summits in a politically different location than last year.
He is complaining about the US official approval rating in his late 30s, the lowest of his presidency, and the impact of stickers on grocery stores and petrol pumps. I'm being driven to Europe. He also faces the prospect that his party will lose control of Congress in the November elections.
While Byden was abroad, the conservative US Supreme Court overturned the court's groundbreaking 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which established legal rights to abortion. It may make a possible long-awaited decision.
Some of Biden's counterparts are in similar straits.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been weakened after surviving a recent distrust resolution. He was hit anew this week when voters resigned after the Conservatives were rejected in two special elections and the results were announced.
French President Emmanuel Macron overcame a strong challenge from his far-right rivals and won the reelection in April, but his Centrist Alliance later won an absolute majority in parliamentary elections. I could not do it.
—
Associated Press writers Josh Boke and Zeke Miller in Washington, Frank Jordan in Berlin, Mike Coder and Samuel Petrekin in Brussels, Joe Macdonald in Beijing. Contributed to this report.
