Western officials are convening in Brussels for back-to-back emergency NATO, G7, and European Union meetings to devise strategies for increasing pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin as his country's invasion of Ukraine enters its second month.

President of the United States Joe Biden is set to attend all three sessions on Thursday.

The US president arrived late Wednesday in Europe's diplomatic capital. He is likely to press allies to impose further sanctions on Russia, whose economy has already been damaged by a relentless stream of bans, boycotts, and penalties over the last four weeks.

While the West has remained primarily united in opposing Russia during its invasion of Ukraine, that unity will almost certainly be strained as the costs of conflict eat away at the global economy.

"What we want to hear is that the resolve and unity demonstrated over the last month will last as long as necessary," Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Brussels.

The war-induced energy crisis will be a focal point of discussion at the European Council summit, with leaders from Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece looking for an immediate, coordinated bloc-wide response.

'Heated exchanges'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected calls for a boycott of Russian energy supplies, claiming that such a move would be detrimental to his country's economy. In contrast, the head of the European Union's executive arm has urged the US to increase liquefied natural gas deliveries to the 27-nation bloc, reducing the bloc's reliance on Russian gas.

Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at the European Parliament before Biden's visit, stated that the EU was seeking a commitment from the US for more LNG supply "for the next two winters."

The EU imports 90% of the natural gas it uses to generate electricity, heat homes, and power industry, with Russia providing about 40% of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.

Sullivan told reporters that the issue had been a "substantial" point of contention and the subject of "intense back and forth" in recent days, with Washington seeking ways to "surge" LNG supplies to Europe to compensate for supply interruptions.

According to Al Jazeera's James Bays in Brussels, the White House would "attempt to demonstrate solidarity with its allies and with Ukraine" during Thursday's discussions.

He indicated that the NATO summit would likely focus on bolstering security, while the EU and G7 conferences will probably concentrate on escalating sanctions against Russia.

"NATO's initial meeting here will focus on the military aspect of this. Support for Ukraine is a priority, but so is beefing up NATO's forces in nations bordering Russia. Certainly, there has been a tenfold increase in ground forces relative to the previous scenario, and 100,000 US troops have been deployed to Europe. Thus, that is a tremendous boost," he stated.

"I believe that the European Union summit, as well as the meeting with the G7 leaders, will place a greater emphasis on sanctions. The Japanese Prime Minister, who is not a NATO member, and the other G7 members will fly in for that summit."

Bays noted that the NATO meeting would almost certainly address the potential of chemical and biological weapons. Western officials have stated that such an attack by Russia poses a "real threat."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said ahead of Thursday's meeting that the alliance's leaders are likely to agree to station additional forces in Eastern Europe to deter a possible Russian attack and to provide further assistance to Ukraine, including equipment to assist Kyiv in defending itself against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.

"Any use of chemical weapons would fundamentally alter the nature of the conflict, would constitute a flagrant violation of international law, and would have far-reaching implications," Stoltenberg said.

However, he declined to specify whether such an attack would constitute a red line that would draw NATO into the conflict.

'Serious measures'

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is expected to address the NATO summit via video link, said late Wednesday that he expects "serious steps" from NATO and Western leaders and wants the alliance to "declare that it will fully assist Ukraine in winning this war" by supplying any necessary weapons.

Additionally, he stated that Ukraine has not gotten the fighter jets or advanced air defense systems it wanted and that the country's military also requires tanks and anti-ship equipment.

Biden, for his part, was anticipated to lay out plans for new penalties against Russia and regional humanitarian assistance.

According to a US official who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity to disclose private talks, one new sanction option that Biden is considering is targeting members of the Russian State Duma, the lower house of parliament.

The person stressed that no final decision had been reached and that the new restrictions would be implemented in concert with Western allies.

Separately, Poland and other NATO members on the eastern flank will seek clarification on how the US and other European allies can aid them in addressing their rising concerns about a spiraling refugee problem.

Over 3.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine in recent weeks, with over 2 million making their way to Poland.

Biden is slated to visit Poland on Friday to hold meetings with President Andrzej Duda about eastern Europe's security and the migration issue.

Sullivan noted that while "Europe has taken a significant step forward" on the refugee issue, the "United States will bring additional commitments on humanitarian assistance and refugees" to Thursday's talks.