Leaders of seven industrial countries have opened a second day of talks in Germany. The G7 leaders are discussing climate and energy issues. They also are to meet with top officials from African nations.
President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met separately on Sunday. After that meeting, Mr. Obama said the G7 leaders would talk about keeping Europe and its economy strong. He said they also planned to discuss a united stand against what he called “Russian aggression” in Ukraine, and dealing with extremism and climate change.
The Obama administration said the U.S. and Germany agreed that how long economic actions against Russia stay in place depends on whether a cease-fire in Ukraine continues. This year, like last, Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited to the G7 meetings. The invitation was not extended last year after Russia took control of the Crimean peninsula.
The G7 members are the United States, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Japan.
