Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on May 8, the White House said.
A spokesperson for the White House's National Security Council said on May 6 that the virtual talks will center on the latest developments in Ukraine’s fight against an unprovoked invasion by Russian forces.
The leaders of the world’s top economic powers will seek ways to assist Kyiv and to demonstrate "continued G7 unity in our collective response, including by imposing severe costs for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war.”
The G7 countries consist of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, and Italy. The grouping was formerly known as the G8, but Russia was ejected following its illegal 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Washington and many of its allies have provided billions of dollars in economic and military aid to Kyiv and have implemented a series of financial sanctions on Moscow following Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
On May 4, U.S. President Joe Biden said he planned to discuss possible additional measures to punish Moscow for its continuing and intensifying war in Ukraine.
"I'll be speaking with the members of the G7 this week about what we're going to do or not do," he told reporters.
Separately, the European Union unveiled a proposal on May 4 to ban Russian oil imports by the end of the year, although that plan is facing opposition from within the bloc, notably from Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, based on potential harm to their own economies.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who will participate in the G7 call, is scheduled to give a televised address to the German people on May 8, the day that the West marks as the end of World War II.
A German government spokeswoman said the virtual talks "will cover current issues, particularly the situation in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelenskiy will take part and report on the current situation in his country."