G7 Leaders Focus on Russia, Ukraine

Leaders from the Group of Seven industrialized economies gathered Thursday in Brussels for a second day of meetings, focusing discussions on Russia's involvement in the Ukraine crisis.

After a morning group meeting, U.S. President Barack Obama will hold separate talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron. Later, Obama will fly to Paris for dinner with French President Francois Hollande.

Late Wednesday, G7 leaders urged Moscow to respect the results of Ukraine's presidential election, stop the flow of fighters and weapons to the eastern part of the country, and completely withdraw troops from its border with Ukraine.

The joint statement threatened to "intensify targeted sanctions and to implement significant additional restrictive measures to impose further costs on Russia, should events so require."

Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited to the summit, a move that came in response to Moscow's incursion into and annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in March.

Putin on Wednesday played down the boycott, but insisted he was open to dialogue with Ukraine President-elect Petro Poroshenko.

Options in Ukraine

Obama praised Poroshenko effusively after meeting him for the first time this week in Poland ahead of Poroshenko's inauguration Saturday.

Obama foreign policy adviser Ben Rhodes said G-7 leaders would discuss the future approach on sanctions during their meetings, the AP reported.

“We'll have to evaluate going forward, what are the triggers for different types of sanctions,” Rhodes said. “That would be reviewing whether or not Russia is continuing to destabilize eastern Ukraine and whether or not Russia is continuing to support separatist groups.”

In other G7 action, the world leaders gave their backing on Thursday to a new global deal on climate change in 2015.

Earlier this week, the United States announced a plan to cut emissions from power plants by 30 percent by 2030, which will run into domestic opposition, prompting the European Union into a defense of its own record.

China, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gasses, also gave a hint that it would set some kind of cap on its emissions.

A draft of the G7 communique seen by Reuters said the G7 nations remained committed to low-carbon economies and limiting temperature rises to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the limit scientists say can prevent the most devastating effects of climate change.

Also Thursday, the G7 offered the EU support with its efforts to make its energy supplies more secure, promising to “complement the efforts of the European Commission to develop emergency energy plans for winter 2014-2015”.

In Europe, the quest for energy security in the face of threats from Russia that it could disrupt supplies of gas pumped through Ukraine, has knocked the climate debate down the agenda.

But addressing the G7 in Brussels, Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the two issues went “hand in hand.”

EU nations said domestic, renewable sources, such as solar and wind, can reduce the need for fossil fuel imports from nations such as Russia, while Poland, which relies on polluting coal, said coal is a reliable, domestic fuel source.

D-Day ceremony

Putin is scheduled to meet Friday with Hollande, British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The meetings will come at a ceremony in Normandy, France to mark the 70th anniversary of the allied D-Day invasion against Nazi forces in World War II.

Underscoring frosty U.S.-Russia ties, Putin is not expected to meet with Obama at the event.

Speaking in Poland, President Obama on Wednesday condemned what he called Russia's "dark tactics" in Ukraine.

Obama also met with Poroshenko in Warsaw, where he announced $5 million in non-lethal aid to help Ukraine's military forces in their effort to battle pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The money will go toward the purchase of body armor, night vision goggles and communications equipment.

Obama said the international community must support efforts to negotiate with Russia and ensure that Russia does not finance, arm or support separatists in Ukraine. He said the world must be willing to enact consequences against Russia.