Leaders of the Group of Seven nations are aiming to reach an agreement on a plan to utilize frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.

The G7 summit opened in Puglia, southern Italy, at around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, with topics for the first session including Africa and climate change.

The leaders are expected to discuss the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to join some of the discussions about his country.

One of main focuses is whether the G7 nations will agree to utilize Russia's central bank assets, which have been frozen by Western sanctions, to assist Ukraine.

The US government hopes to provide Kyiv with up to 50 billion dollars, including future profits from interest.

The French presidential office said on Wednesday that a plan to deliver 50 billion dollars to Ukraine by the end of this year has been formalized.

The G7 leaders are also expected to share their concerns that China has been supporting Russia's defense industry by exporting to Moscow dual-use goods, which can be used for military purposes.

The focus is whether the G7 nations can remain united to support Ukraine, as the Russian invasion drags on and Western countries are apparently suffering from donor fatigue.