The leaders of the G7 group of industrialized nations are scheduled for a videoconference on Sunday, during which concerns about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are expected to be front and centre, writes MIA.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected to appear at the online event to update the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US about the state of play.
There are reports that US President Joe Biden might also want to discuss additional sanctions against Russia.
There are no details yet about the actual time of the meeting. Organizers say other topics could come up.
The Sunday meeting falls on May 8, a day traditionally set aside in Europe to mark the end of the European portion of World War II and the liberation of Europe from Nazi forces.
The commemorations are set to be echoed in Russia on Monday – the day Russia traditionally marks the end of the European war – with questions open about whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the occasion to ratchet the war up or down.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, alleging abuses of ethnic Russians on Ukrainian soil and vowing to “de-Nazify” the country. Strong Ukrainian resistance has pushed Russian forces back to the east, but Russia has shown no sign of planning to end a war it insisted it would not start for months before the attack.
