G7 leaders kick off their 48th summit this Sunday

This year's summit, hosted by Germany, will focus on the war in Ukraine

MADRID, 26 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The heads of state and government of the G7 begin this Sunday a three-day summit that will take place in Elmau castle, at the foot of the Alps, in the state of Bavaria, Germany, with the war in Ukraine as the center of the discussions.

Germany is, between June 26 and 28, the host of the summit. For this reason, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, will meet with the president of the United States, Joe Biden, in a bilateral meeting before the joint meeting begins.

Scholz has proposed the creation of a "climate club" and resolve the current energy crisis, as he advanced in a video message released this Saturday.

However, the war in Ukraine stands as the main theme of the summit. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, has influenced this matter this Saturday, reiterating in a press release his support for Ukraine "for as long as necessary."

Johnson has stressed that he will communicate to the leaders that "any signs of fatigue regarding Western aid to Ukraine will play directly in favor of the president (of Russia, Vladimir) Putin".

The place chosen for this meeting is a luxury hotel in a rural area, with the aim of avoiding the problems of the G20 summit in Hamburg in 2017, in which serious disturbances and clashes were recorded. The surroundings of Elmau have, in turn, fences that prevent access to possible protesters, in addition to a large police organization, with around 18,000 agents.

The Group of Seven is a forum with the largest economies: Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom. Their objective is to coordinate economic and security issues that concern the powers.

However, countries that are not part of this group, such as Argentina, India, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa have been invited to participate in some of the sessions.

Likewise, the summit has the telematic presence of the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski.

This Saturday, on the eve of the start of the summit, almost 4,000 protesters have marched in Munich with the request to senior officials for more far-reaching actions in the face of climate change.

Those attending the demonstrations have been joined by environmental groups who have called for concrete measures to alleviate the consequences of climate change. In fact, they have highlighted the elimination of fossil fuels or the intensification of the fight against hunger.

On the other hand, protesters have criticized Germany's rearmament as a result of the war in Ukraine.