This year the G7 summit will be held in the Italian city of Fasano in Apulia or Puglia. Members of the summit will be spending three days in a luxury hotel, the most heavily secured in the world.
In addition to discussions on the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, the Italian Presidency will also focus on the Mediterranean and Africa, as well as climate change.
Leaders of the G7 group have decided to loan €46 billion to assist Ukraine in its fight for survival, using interest collected on profits from Russia's frozen central bank assets as security.
Diplomats verified that the agreement was made before the leaders arrived in southern Italy for the three-day summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be there and is anticipated to sign a separate bilateral security deal with U.S. President Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis will become the first Catholic Church leader to address a Group of Seven summit, bringing religious authority to this year's gathering in Italy's sun-drenched Puglia area.
He will speak Friday about the benefits and drawbacks of artificial intelligence, but he is also anticipated to restate his call for a peaceful end to the battles in Ukraine and Gaza.
The G7 comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Host Italy has invited numerous African leaders, including Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Kenyan President William Ruto, and Tunisian President Kais Saied, to promote Italy's Africa efforts.
Other guests include Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. With Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and now French President Emmanuel Macron facing elections in the next months, the heat is on the G7 to get things done while the status quo lasts.
G7 summit: Discussions on the Ukraine and Gaza wars at the top of the agenda
