A year after the G7 major world powers forced Russia from their ranks, western leaders will convene again this weekend in Germany facing unabated violence in Ukraine and an entrenched Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ensconced in a remote hotel in the Bavarian Alps, President Barack Obama will urge his European counterparts to extend the economic sanctions on Russia that have weakened the Ruble and caused some discontent among the Russian population, administration officials said Thursday.
But even the White House admits those measures have done little to slow the Russian-backed campaign along the border with Ukraine, where thousands have died since the conflict began last year.