CRI听力:Ukraine, Greece Dominate First Day of G7 Summit

The summit marks the second year in a row that leaders from the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan have gathered without Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia had been part of the G8 summit since 1998, but was suspended last year due to the conflict in Ukraine, particularly its annexation of Crimea.

US President Barack Obama says Russia's role in the Ukraine conflict will be discussed at the summit.

"So over the next two days in Schloss Elmau we're going to discuss our shared future, the global economy that creates jobs and opportunity, maintaining a strong and prosperous European Union, forging new trade partnerships across the Atlantic, standing up to Russian aggression in Ukraine, combating threats from violent extremism to climate change."

The European Union has decided to extend sanctions on Russia which had been due to expire in July.

European Council President Donald Tusk is signaling a toughening of sanctions at the G7.

"My intention is that today we reconfirm the G7 unity on the sanctions policy. So let me state clearly, given the current situation, if anyone wants to start a debate about changing the sanctions regime, the discussion could only be about strengthening it."

The leaders want Russia and Ukraine to comply with a ceasefire agreed to in the Belarusian capital Minsk in February that largely halted fighting in eastern Ukraine between rebels and Ukrainian government forces.

But fighting has intensified recently, as last week saw the heaviest clashes in months, leaving nearly 30 people dead.

In an interview with an Italian newspaper, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the Ukrainian government for its reluctance to talk with insurgents.

"I want to underline that Russia is interested in and will strive to ensure the full and unconditional implementation of all Minsk Agreements and I believe there is no other way to settle the conflict today."

The G7 leaders are also focusing on the Greek debt crisis.

Greece is in tough negotiations with its international creditors for a cash-for-reforms deal to prevent a default that could end up pushing the country out of the euro zone.

Last week, Athens rejected proposals tabled by its creditors that included tax increases and pensions cuts.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is urging the Greek government to put forward alternative proposals swiftly to allow negotiations this week.

He has also reaffirmed that a so-called "Grexit" is not an option being considered.

"I have said time and again that a 'Grexit' is out of the question, but I do not want people to draw the conclusion from this sentence that at the end of the day, the European Commission President will put the rabbit out of the hat and allow us to progress towards our goal without making any further efforts."

As the host of this year's G7 summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is also hoping to secure commitments from the leaders to tackle global warming ahead of a major United Nations climate summit in Paris in December.

The German agenda also foresees discussions on global health issues, from Ebola to antibiotics and tropical diseases.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.