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Europe's debt crisis is expected to dominate the summit of the G8 group of major world economies near Washington.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will face calls from President Barack Obama and new French leader Francois Hollande for stimulus measures, analysts say.
Greece's possible exit from the eurozone is also high on the agenda.
As Mr Obama welcomed other G8 leaders late on Friday, they discussed the nuclear stand-off in Iran and North Korea, and the unrest in Syria.
But the eurozone is expected to top the agenda when the leaders of the US, Germany, France, Britain, Japan, Russia, Italy and Canada hold a full day of talks on Saturday at President Barack Obama's Camp David retreat north of Washington.
After meeting Mr Hollande at the White House on Friday, Mr Obama told reporters that the aim of the summit was to promote both fiscal discipline and a "strong growth agenda".
"President Hollande and I agree that this is an issue of extraordinary importance not only to the people of Europe but also to the world economy," Mr Obama added.
The French president, who took office this month, said he and Mr Obama shared "the same conviction that Greece must remain in the eurozone".
Greece's caretaker government was sworn in this week after elections failed to produce a viable coalition to run the country. New elections have been scheduled for 17 June.
The result of the poll could determine the fate of austerity measures which Greece's international creditors are insisting on.
Investors fear any refusal by Athens to impose deep spending cuts agreed under a bailout deal could result in the country quitting the bloc of 17 countries that use the euro.
Larger countries such as Spain or Italy that are struggling to ease their debt loads might then become vulnerable, potentially triggering wider eurozone upheaval and even a global financial crisis to rival the one of 2008.
Mr Hollande also met British Prime Minister David Cameron at the British embassy in Washington.
Mr Cameron said that Greece must decide if it wanted to remain in the euro.
"We need decisive action from eurozone countries in terms of strengthening eurozone banks, in terms of a strong eurozone firewall and decisive action over Greece. That has to be done."
The office of the Greek interim prime minister has said Mrs Merkel had suggested the country hold a referendum on euro membership on election day, but the German chancellor's cabinet has dismissed this as "false".
On Friday, the leaders also agreed:
After the G8 summit ends on Saturday evening, most of the leaders will decamp to Chicago to join a larger group of international officials for a Nato summit on Sunday and Monday, at which Afghanistan is expected to be the main item on the agenda.
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