Italian Premier Matteo Renzi takes part in his first G7

(ANSA) - Rome, June 4 - Italian Premier Matteo Renzi arrived in Brussels Wednesday to take his place among global leaders for his first ever G7 summit. Renzi, 39, became Italy's youngest premier in February after ousting party colleague Enrico Letta. The summit, which will discuss the Ukrainian crisis and relations with Russia among global policy topics, will also be the first in 16 years without the presence of Russia. "It could seem like a normal summit, but it won't be in any way," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the Bundestag. Merkel said Russia's "violations of international laws" and Ukrainian "sovereignty" had led to the exclusion of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Turmoil in the Ukraine saw Russia claim sovereignty over the Crimea after a March referendum in the majority Russian language region, which resulted in overwhelming official support for joining Russia. Ukrainian officials decried the move as violating Ukraine's constitution and international law. Violent clashes between Ukrainian government and pro-Russian secessionists continue in eastern Ukraine.