A lot is happening around the world, but Ukrainian flags outside of American homes serve as a reminder that the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine remains a big issue.
The U.S.’s latest commitment has been locked in for weeks — around $60 billion in U.S. taxpayer money will soon flow to Ukraine.
However, there remains a concern that that is still not enough. The gathering of world leaders in the coming days in Europe is hoping to change that.
The G7 summit kicked off Thursday in Italy, where leaders from the Group of Seven nations — U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom — will meet Thursday through Saturday.
A second global event is a Ukraine peace summit, which is taking place in Switzerland Saturday and Sunday. Around 90 countries are expected to be involved.
President Joe Biden is in Italy attending the G7, and Vice President Kamala Harris is attending the peace summit.
Over the next few days, news about the state of the war between Russia and Ukraine is expected.
“The conflict is effectively a stalemate on the ground. There are little movements here and there,” said Lester Munson, an expert in international relations at the global affairs firm BGR Group.
Munson recently told Scripps News that despite all of the American aid — and global support — right now, the war hasn’t changed much, with Russia and Ukraine not gaining or retaking much territory as of late.
While the gathering in Switzerland this weekend is meant to help chart a path toward peace, President Biden’s meeting with the G7 is meant to help Ukraine win the war.
That involves President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meeting Thursday and outlining what assistance looks like going forward.
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According to National Security adviser Jake Sullivan, the G7 will look at ways that Europe can use the profits from frozen Russian assets to give even more assistance to Ukraine.
“Our view is that Ukraine’s security is central to Europe’s security, and therefore central to America’s security,” Sullivan said.
As far as any prospect for peace coming out of these global events, Munson still believes things are a long way off.
“I think it’s unlikely it will lead to a breakthrough, but it could set the predicate for further conversations in a few months once we see if anybody is making headway on the ground,” Munson said.
