Russia’s Putin Dominates G7 Summit in Absentia

The absence of the Russian President Vladimir Putin dominated the G7 summit. Leaders of seven economies snubbed Putin and issued a joint statement, urging the Kremlin to recognize the presidential elections recently held in Ukraine, withdraw troops from the borders Russia shares with Ukraine and stop the flow of weapons and militants. The G7 pointed out more sanctions were possible for Russia. Putin ignored his lack of invitation and declared he was open to dialogue. US President Barack Obama made no plans to meet with Putin. During Obama’s visit to Poland, he also announced military measures to reaffirm NATO allies’ security in Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, Putin seems to ignore the lack of invitation to the G7 summit and declared that he was still open to dialogue. The G7 agenda includes global topics like energy and climate policy, and so more countries are needed rather than fewer. – YaleGlobal