Biden heads to Italy to pitch world leaders on more cash for Ukraine

PARIS — Amid signs that Americans are tiring of sending weapons to Ukraine after two years of war, President Joe Biden this week will huddle with other world leaders in search of new ways to get aid to the country as it struggles to fend off Russia’s invasion.

Biden will participate in a three-day meeting in Apulia, Italy, of the Group of Seven, or G7, the organization formed by the world's largest industrialized nations, where a major topic will be tapping $300 billion worth of frozen Russian assets to strengthen Ukraine on the battlefield, according to the White House.

John Kirby, the spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said the week’s meetings will also include announcing "an impactful set of new sanctions and export control actions” against Russia.

“These actions will follow through on several of the commitments that G7 leaders have made to date," he said. "The actions will target the entities and networks that are helping Russia procure what it needs for its war.”

Biden and his counterparts largely agree about the merits of seizing Russian assets to help underwrite Ukraine’s effort, though there is friction about how best to go about it, a person familiar with U.S. planning for the summit said.

The Biden administration had wanted to use both principal and interest from Russia’s assets to help pay for the war, while European nations had favored using only the interest, the person said. With Ukraine urgently needing more arms, the Biden administration is prepared to compromise and embrace the path European leaders prefer, the source added.

One option under consideration is for the G7 nations — the others are France, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany — to provide Ukraine with