Chancellor Angela Merkel joined Berliners in rolling out the red carpet for Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, with the monarch warning against a "division in Europe".
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was expected to meet with Angela Merkel in Brussels after the EU's top official for the euro said a breakthrough bailout deal could be "days" away.
The leaders of Germany and the United States hammered home a tough line on Russia as they kicked off a G7 summit dominated by crises in Ukraine and Greece.
US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Western sanctions must remain in place against Russia until it complies with a ceasefire deal with Ukraine.
Germany and France urged the EU to find a fairer way to admit and distribute asylum seekers, as their leaders met the European Commission chief in Berlin.
he possibility of Greece quitting the eurozone cast a long shadow over a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations.
Finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of Seven wealthiest nations gathered in Dresden to discuss the global economy and tax evasion.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rallied thousands of supporters in Germany, weeks before his Islamic-rooted party will contest June parliamentary elections.