G7 leaders meet this Monday (28) with heads of NATO and the EU

Leaders of the Group of Seven major industrialized countries will make a call at 1:15 pm ET on Monday with the NATO secretary general, EU heads and leaders from Romania and Poland, Italy said.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s office said in a statement that the leaders of Italy, France and Germany, along with European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, would hold a follow-up call at 4:30 pm.

Last Thursday, NATO member countries in Eastern Europe – Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – triggered the organization’s Article 4 to launch consultations within the alliance on Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The clause deals with possible threats to the integrity and security of any of the member states.

“The parties shall consult each other whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened”, says article 4 of the treaty. The consultation could lead to collective action among NATO’s 30 members.

The following day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced, for the first time in history, the activation of the Alliance’s Response Force.

With the potential to involve up to 40,000 troops, the defensive measure is a “highly prepared and technologically advanced multinational force composed of land, air, sea and Special Operations Forces components that the alliance can quickly mobilize whenever necessary”.

As the conflict escalates, Ukrainians flee the war towards neighboring countries, notably Poland and Romania. according to Itamaraty, there are about 100 Brazilians who, in the official documents of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are listed as present in the country’s territory. About 80 have already managed to move to border countries.

*With information from Reuters;