G7 meet in Hague on Ukraine, Russia

President Barack Obama looked to his allies within the G7, Monday, to back up his tough sanctions on Russia over its seizure of Crimea. The EU, however, is a little more restrained in its sanctioning, due to the strong economic ties many of the 28 member countries have with Russia.

Especially the central and east European countries who were once dominated by Russia urge caution, due to their historical dependence on the Russian economy. The EU countries are also careful not to find themselves on a slippery slope of sanctions and retaliation. Although Chinese President Xi Jinping supports Ukraine's independence, he carefully refrained from criticizing Russia or supporting any sanctions against the country. Angela Merkel from Germany is the only EU leader to join Obama on his tough stand against Russia and supports any efforts to reduce EU dependence on Russian oil or gas. Merkel did not expect any new sanctions to be decided upon during the G7 meeting on Russia, but rather further measures to be taken in case Russia would decide to continue down its path.