Russia

: Ensconced in the Schloss Elmau hotel high in the southern German Alps, Obama was expected to urge his European counterparts to extend sanctions on Russia, which have weakened the ruble and caused some discontent among the Russian population, administration officials said, according to CNN. Obama said Sunday that "Russian aggression" in Ukraine was at the top of the G7 agenda, along with bolstering trade, addressing climate change and combating violent extremists. The meeting of the G7 in Germany comes a year after the grouping of major world powers forced Russia from its ranks. Referring to Ukraine, Obama said, "We think that there can be a peaceful, diplomatic resolution to this problem, but it going to require that Europe, the United States and the Transatlantic Partnership, as well as the world, stay vigilant and stay focused on the importance of upholding the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty." Members of the G7 pose for their group photo. During a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the White House said the leaders "agreed that the duration of sanctions should be clearly linked to Russia full implementation of the Minsk agreements," a short-lived ceasefire in the Ukraine crisis reached in March. From left to right: President of the European Council Donald Tusk, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.S. President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.