G-7 Leaders, Weakened by Crises, Gather --- Allies seek to present unified front as they face economic, political worries at home

 

"TELFS-BUCHEN, Austria -- Group of Seven leaders gathered at their summit Sunday in a weakened position as the fallout from an intensifying economic war with Russia is beginning to bite, threatening popular support for Ukraine in their countries and potential fissures in their alliance against Moscow.

The leaders, hosted by Germany at the foot of the Bavarian Alps, aim to display unity in their confrontation with Russia and sketch the outlines of a future Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of Ukraine. But an accumulation of political and economic problems at home looks likely to test their resolve in the coming months.

"We've got to make sure we have us all stay together, and we are going to continue working on the economic challenges we face," President Biden said in a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Russian President Vladimir Putin "has been counting on from the beginning that somehow NATO and the G-7 would splinter," Mr. Biden said. "But we haven't and we're not going to."

Some come to this year's meeting fresh from searing political setbacks, others are seeing their poll numbers decline ahead of elections. All are battling rises in food and energy prices that are set to intensify, and Europe, in particular, faces the specter of energy shortages and rationing this winter.

The grim economic and political backdrop is sure to test the allies' stamina, with some Western security officials now estimating that Moscow could sustain its military campaign in Ukraine well into next year, possibly exhausting both Kyiv and its Western backers.

Mr. Biden has been buffeted with low approval ratings at home for months, as Americans contend with rising food and gas prices and now, higher interest rates. Many economists see a recession approaching, a possibility Mr. Biden has played down.

White House officials said the state of the global economy in the aftermath of sanctions on Russia will be a key part of discussions at both the G-7 gathering and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's summit, which will begin on Wednesday in Madrid.

At the G-7 gathering Sunday, the U.S. and allies laid out plans to invest hundreds of billions of dollars for infrastructure projects in developing countries in an attempt to challenge autocracies and address a similar program by China.

Mr. Biden said the U.S. would contribute $200 billion over five years toward the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, from a $2 billion solar project in Angola to a $600 million submarine telecommunications cable connecting Singapore to France." [1]

1. World News: G-7 Leaders, Weakened by Crises, Gather --- Allies seek to present unified front as they face economic, political worries at home
Bertrand, Benoit; Tarini Parti; Leary, Alex. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 27 June 2022: A.7.