In their final declaration, the heads of state and government of the western industrialized nations wrote down what they had repeatedly presented in pictures and scenes three days previously at their G-7 summit in Elmau, Bavaria.
Their joint text states, "at a time when the world is threatened by divisions and upheavals, we, the G7, stand united".
Johannes Leithauser
Political correspondent in Berlin.
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France Wittenbrink
Editor in Politics.
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Together with "partners" - the representatives of India and Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa as well as Argentina were also invited to Elmau - they are determined "to defend universal human rights and democratic values, the rule-based multilateral order and the resilience of our democratic societies". .
It is important to accept “the challenges of our time”.
At the end of the summit, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz looked back on "intensive and constructive" days in Elmau.
In times of uncertainty, it is "all the more important that we have friends and allies in this world," said the Chancellor.
Such friends are the members of the G-7 group.
You could clearly feel that in Elmau.
Scholz praises trust
"Elmau was very good for the G7 and the countries that cooperate with each other here because we used the time," said Scholz.
There must be direct talks that make it possible to respond to each other and pick up threads of conversation half a day later.
"We succeeded here," said Scholz.
The meeting therefore “really paid off”, “a great deal of trust was created” – and that will also help in the future.
Among the challenges mentioned, the G 7 include Russia's war in Ukraine, its consequences for energy prices and food supplies, as well as the "long-term tasks", i.e. the fight against climate change and the strengthening of democracies in the world.
In addition to numerous assurances of cooperation to accomplish these tasks, the final declaration contains various promises to allocate large sums of money to bring about change.
Ukraine does not receive any explicit pledges to deliver new weapons systems, instead it is recorded that the G7 will transfer $2.8 billion in humanitarian aid to the country this year and have pledged ten times that amount in budget support.
An international conference should be convened to rebuild the country after the war, and the G 7 support “an international reconstruction plan” that “is being worked out and implemented by Ukraine in close coordination with international partners”.
According to the Federal Chancellor, the meeting in Elmau once again "in an impressive way" showed the unity and determination of the G 7 to oppose Russian aggression and to condemn Russia's "merciless war".
The rocket hit the previous day in a shopping center near Kyiv is further evidence that Putin is maintaining his "brutal aggression towards the population".