Biden urges G7 to remain united against Russian aggression in Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, left, greets US President Joe Biden at the G7 summit (Michael Kappeler/dpa/AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes the West will “splinter” as his invasion of Ukraine drags on, Joe Biden has warned

Speaking at the G7 summit in Germany, the US president praised the allies who have stuck together and stood up to the Kremlin during four months of war, applying sanctions on Russia while sending weaponry to Ukraine.

Greeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday, Mr Biden praised his counterpart for helping to sustain pressure on Russia and urged him to keep at it – a central message of his five-day trip to meet allies at summits in Germany and Spain.

Joe Biden, left, said Olaf Scholz’s tough response to Russian aggression had set an example to other European leaders (Leonhard Foeger/Pool/AP)

Mr Biden warned: “We have to stay together, because Putin has been counting on from the beginning that somehow Nato and the G7 would splinter.

“But we haven’t and we’re not going to.

“We can’t let this aggression take the form it has and get away with it.”

Mr Scholz, hosting the annual Group of Seven summit in the Bavarian alps, greeted Mr Biden on a balcony overlooking what the US president called a “magnificent” view of lush greenery and towering peaks.

Mr Biden credited Mr Scholz for helping to lead Europe in standing up to Russia, saying his tough response “had a great impact on the rest of Europe to move”.