(By Bonny Apunyu)

Members of the G7, formerly G8 before the exclusion of Russia, arrived Sunday in Germany to begin a two-day summit where U.S President, Barack Obama is expected to tackle issues of Russia and Islamic State.

According to VOA, Mr. Obama will try to rally the Group of Seven partners to extend sanctions on Russia for its continuing involvement in Ukraine. Hours after arriving in Germany on Sunday,  the U.S president reportedly said he was looking forward to discussing with his German counterpart the "shared future" of the U.S. and Germany, including "standing up to Russian aggression in Ukraine."

Germany Chancellor Merkel who reportedly called the U.S. "our friend and our partner,"  will also welcome heads of state and diplomats from Britain, Japan, France, Italy, Canada and the European Union for talks, the formal purpose of which is trade. But the issues of Ukraine, including Russia's annexation of Crimea, and the strategy against the Islamic State group are expected to dominate the discussions.

VOA says some G-7 nations are participating in allied bombing raids against the Islamic State group, and the fighters’ recent capture of Ramadi in Iraq has left many wondering whether Obama’s strategy is working.