EU to discuss Brexit, China, Russia at G7 summit

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference on Thursday (June 10) ahead of the summit that the protocol was the "one and only solution" to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.

Speaking in Brussels with the European Council President Charles Michel she also called for an unfettered investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, first identified in central China, amid criticism of an initial World Health Organization probe.

"Investigators need complete access to whatever is necessary to really find the source of this pandemic," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the news conference.

Michel said that at the meeting of G7 countries in Cornwall, the European Union would show it was ready to stand up to aggressive actions by China and Russia, offering support to U.S. President Joe Biden on his first European tour.