But how long it can last exactly remains an open question – and a source of anxiety – for leaders now leaving the Bavarian Alps after a two-day G7 summit.
Here are four conclusions from Biden’s first major summit of his latest international trip:
The war in Ukraine has brought together Western leaders to condemn Russia and impose sanctions. But as the war enters its fifth month, the economic consequences of isolating Russia are being felt in high gas prices, a major political responsibility. Meanwhile, the momentum of the war seems to favor Russia.
Reversing these parallel trends was the main goal of this year’s G7 summit. The leaders pledged new security assistance to Ukraine, including a new U.S. missile defense system, the same model used to defend airspace in Washington, DC. Ammunition and radar systems are also expected at the last shipment.
But another arms shipment is unlikely to end the war. Without a clear path to victory on the battlefield, leaders have been left wondering how long the fighting will last and, by extension, how much longer the economic consequences of the war will drag on the global economy.
Zelensky’s statements to the group on Monday provided at least his view of the matter: he wants the war to end when winter comes. He pressured the group to support a major military offensive to regain initiative against Russia.
“Zelensky was very focused on trying to make sure that Ukraine is in such an advantageous position on the battlefield as possible in the coming months, as opposed to the next few years, because he believes that a strong conflict is not in the interest. of the Ukrainian people. “U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said after the meeting.
Leaders work to alleviate the pain of war while maintaining pressure on Russia
The set of Western sanctions on Russia has had a dramatic impact. On Monday, the country defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time since the Bolshevik revolution more than a century ago.
The White House said the defect showed the power of Western sanctions imposed on Russia since it invaded Ukraine. At this week’s G7, leaders implemented new measures, including a ban on importing new Russian gold.
At the same time, sanctions have inflicted pain on Americans due to rising gas prices, an effect of global bans on Russian energy imports.
Aiming at Russian energy has been a point of discussion since the start of the war. And the complexities of going after one of the largest producers in the world have been tested in the following months. As Americans and Europeans suffer from high gas prices, Moscow is still earning massive revenues from its oil exports, in part due to rising prices.
A plan by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen seeks to reverse it. In recent months, it has pressured G7 nations to apply a price cap on Russian oil, limiting the amount of money Russia earns from the places it still exports.
Leaders accepted the idea at this week’s summit. But the precise mechanism for doing so remains undecided. Officials said they were confident that Western nations would have enough leverage through their transportation and distribution networks to enforce the boundaries.
Leaders seem to remain united in their response to the war, for now
How and when to commit to Putin had divided some of the G7 leaders, who have sometimes expressed differences of opinion on whether it is time to seek a negotiated deal or push forward a decisive victory on the battlefield.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson entered the talks this week promising to rally the leaders behind a plan to help Zelensky keep the fight going. And while French President Emmanuel Macron had previously warned of “humiliating” Putin, he seemed to agree with Johnson on support for Ukraine after meeting at the G7.
Biden, meanwhile, has pledged billions of dollars in security assistance to Ukraine. Their main goal seems to be to keep Western leaders aligned with their goals as fractures begin to emerge.
“We have to stay together, because Putin has counted from the beginning that somehow the G7 or NATO would split in some way, but we haven’t done it and we won’t do it,” he said when he left. meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “We can’t let this aggression take the shape it has and get away with it.”
As the G7 concluded, it did not appear that the leaders had reached any consensus on when to renew their attempts to negotiate with Putin. But the Russian leader was still very much on the minds of the leaders when they sat down to a working lunch on Sunday.
“We have to prove we’re tougher than Putin,” Johnson told the group as he sat down.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a suggestion: “Ride with your torso bare,” he said, as the leaders laughed.
The Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade approaches Biden in Europe
On his first day at the summit, Biden told reporters that the two-day Supreme Court decision overturning Roe against Wade had not been handed down at the G7 summit.
But for his fellow leaders, it was a worrying sign for the United States. European Union Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said “many voices” at the G7 summit were “very sad and very worried” about the decision.
“We discussed gender equality and in fact there were a lot of voices, very sad and very worried,” von der Leyen said when CNN’s Christiane Amanpour asked him about the Supreme Court decision.
Johnson, in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, called the sentence a “step back.”
Biden denounced the decision and vowed to explore ways to protect access to abortion. He and his collaborators have touted the ruling as a major step backwards for women’s rights, and gender equality was one of the topics of this year’s G7, where leaders spent an entire working session on theme.
However, during the usual family photos and work meals, the lack of gender equality between the group – eight men and one woman – was striking. It was the first time in 16 years without a nationally elected woman in the group.