Biden meets with G7, addresses US on response to Russia
Gulf Times
US President Joe Biden (file photo).
US President Joe Biden was meeting with G7 allies Thursday to hammer out a raft of new sanctions against Russia after it invaded Ukraine, and will later speak to the American people on a crisis that he warns will cause "catastrophic loss of life."
The virtual, closed-door meeting of G7 leaders -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States -- was set to start at 9:00 am (1400 GMT), with Biden's White House speech scheduled for early afternoon.
For weeks, as Russia built up tens of thousands of troops and heavy weapons on Ukraine's border, Biden has led NATO and other European allies in trying to craft a package of what Washington says are "unprecedented" sanctions as a deterrent.
Now that the deterrent has failed, the effort is likely to see rapid escalation to inflict real pain on Russia's already shaky economy.
