The summit marathon of the EU, G7 and NATO is of particular importance for one country: Ukraine. Its president can be connected as a guest to all summits – including Elmau in Bavaria.
Something is different on this Monday morning in the light-flooded “Yoga Pavilion” at Schloss Elmau. The Protocol had a screen hung above the rather small round table at which the members of the G7 of leading Western economic powers met.
It is the place for a special guest who could not make his way to the Alpine idyll for a very understandable reason: his country has been at war for four months and three days. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not want to abandon either the civilian population or his troops in their defense against the Russian attackers.
At around 10 a.m. he appears on the screen in his usual fashion: a military T-shirt, framed between Ukrainian flags and his face petrified. Zelenskyi has rarely missed a gathering of his Western allies in recent months, to address his reports from the front, but above all his demands for arms and other support.
Most of those sitting at the table have already seen the situation in the war zone for themselves. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have been to Kyiv twice since the war began. Just a few days ago, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) traveled to the Ukrainian capital together with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi – also in preparation for the G7, NATO and EU summits.
Ukraine is now a candidate for EU membership
In Kyiv, the European trio spoke out in favor of Ukraine becoming a candidate for accession to the European Union. The topic is now closed. Selenskyj thanked him again in the G7 round. “Ukraine has felt the support of the “Big Seven” states,” he says, according to his office. For him, the important thing now is that the West does not let up in its military support. According to information from participants, at the meeting he called the goal of ending the war by the end of the year – before the harsh winter.
Even before the meeting, Selenskyj makes it clear what Ukraine needs: “We need powerful air defense – modern, fully effective,” he said in a video speech on Monday night. Any delay in arms deliveries to Ukraine is an invitation to Russia to strike again. The G7 countries together had enough potential “to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine and Europe”.
Main message: Solidarity with Ukraine
Solidarity with Ukraine is one of the main messages of this summit. That is why Chancellor Scholz, as G7 chairman, hastened to promise further help after the deliberations. “As the G7, we stand united on the side of Ukraine and will continue our support,” Scholz tweeted. “We will all make difficult but necessary decisions for this.”
The US wants to do more very soon. According to a media report, the delivery of a modern surface-to-air missile defense system that can hit targets at a distance of more than 100 miles (about 160 kilometers) is planned. The US would likely announce additional military support this week, including additional artillery ammunition and radar equipment.
Scholz, on the other hand, is not specific – at least as far as further weapon deliveries are concerned. He refers to the weapons that have already been promised and delivered, such as the Panzerhaubitze 2000, a modern artillery piece from the Bundeswehr stocks. “Germany supplies a lot of weapons, and that’s recognized everywhere,” Scholz told ZDF.
G7 launch reconstruction plan
The Chancellor and the G7 are launching another project: reconstruction aid, especially for the post-war period. They are “ready to support an international reconstruction plan” that is being drawn up by Ukraine in close consultation with bilateral and multilateral partners, according to a joint statement.
Scholz has a catchy name ready for the long-term project. A “Marshall Plan” for Ukraine should be created, he said before the summit – modeled on the billion-euro program with which the United States helped European countries get back on their feet after World War II.
