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[h=4]Obama, Merkel push G-7 to keep sanctions on Russia[/h]President Obama on Sunday joined leaders of the world's major industrial economies for a two-day summit in Bavaria where the diplomatic discussions were expected to be dominated by the simmering conflict in eastern Ukraine and Greece's last-minute attempts to resolve its debt crisis.
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In addition to maintaining sanctions against Russia, the White House is urging G-7 allies to support Ukraine's efforts for economic reform. VPC
President Obama waves as he is welcomed by Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel upon arrival at a breakfast meeting with local citizens in Kruen near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany, on June 7, 2015 .(Photo: Robert Michael, AFP/Getty Images)
GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany — World leaders holding talks in Germany said Sunday they would push for economic sanctions on Russia to remain in place until a peace plan for Ukraine is fully implemented.
President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the issue as the two-day Group of Seven, or G-7, summit, got underway in Bavaria.
The White House said "the duration of the sanctions should be clearly linked to Russia's full implementation of the Minsk agreements and respect for Ukraine's sovereignty." The White House statement was referring to the cease-fire deal reached in February during talks in Minsk, Belarus.
Leaders from the U.S., Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan are meeting in Germany's Alpine region near the border with Austria. The European Union is also represented. Russia was excluded from the summit for the second year in a row for backing Ukrainian separatists — an allegation it denies.
USA TODAY
A quick look at how the G-7 met commitments from last year's summit
The push to extend sanctions targeting Russia's economy and banks comes even as Washington has admitted the measures have not dramatically shifted Russian President Vladimir Putin's position about Ukraine.
Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, said at a news conference that Russia would not be invited back to the summit as long as it behaves aggressively against Ukraine and other countries. "Our group is not only a political and economic group of interests, but first of all this is a community of values," the Polish politician said.
USA TODAY
Russia left in summit cold for second year running
Obama arrived in Munich, in southern Germany, early Sunday. As the president exited Air Force One, he was greeted by men, women and children in traditional German dress. A young boy and girl gave him flowers, and he signed a guest book.
Obama then boarded a helicopter to the mountain village of Kruen to sample Bavarian food and culture and to meet privately with Merkel, an ally whose diplomatic patience has been tested in recent years by revelations that the National Security Agency tapped her cellphone.
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President Obama received a warm welcome from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and local Bavarians when he arrived in Germany for the G-7 meetings. Protesters filled streets elsewhere in the region through the weekend. VPC
"I can't think of a better place to come to celebrate the enduring friendship between the German and American people," Obama said. "The fact that all of us are here together is proof that conflicts can end and great progress is possible."
The summit is taking place 25 years after the reunification of Germany and 70 years after World War II ended.
Amid a few joking references to lederhosen and beer — Obama said he forgot to bring his German leather breeches and urged the crowd to partake of the latter — the president said the G-7 summit would seek a consensus over standing up to Russian aggression in Ukraine, combating violent extremism, climate change and trade.
"It was a very fine beer. I wish I was staying," he said as he was leaving Kruen.
Merkel said the U.S. was an "essential partner" for Germany but also alluded to occasional "differences of opinion."
A German armed forces helicopter flies over the Bavarian Alps as police look on hours before the G-7 summit at Schloss Elmau on June 7, 2015. The leaders of the U.S., Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and Canada, as well as European Union leaders, are meeting to discuss global economic and security issues, as well as pressing global health-related issues.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Sean Gallup, Getty Images)
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On Monday, Obama will also meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider-al-Abadi, who may press the United States and its allies for more military support as his beleaguered nation struggles with the Islamic State's territorial advances.
British Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters here Sunday that Britain will send an extra 125 military trainers to Iraq to help combat the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
Another topic during the summit is Greece's so far unsuccessful attempts to break a deadlock with its creditors from the EU and International Monetary Fund. Representatives from the EU and IMF are at the summit.
Ahead of the G-7 summit, there were minor clashes between police and protesters in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a town a few miles from the Schloss Elmau hotel where the heavily guarded event is taking place.
On Sunday, demonstrators temporarily blocked the road leading to the hotel, forcing the leaders to access it by helicopter.
"We do not need to apologize for our meeting; it is only because of the G-7 countries that people can demonstrate, can think what they want. I am sorry for this maybe trivial truth, but from time to time it is important that someone says it openly," the EU's Tusk said, addressing criticism from protesters claiming the summit is a waste of money and achieves nothing.
USA TODAY
Thousands protest G-7 summit in southern Germany
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