G7 to step up sanctions, Zelensky expected to arrive in person, Talks on China to be held
The Leaders from the Group of Seven Nations (G7), assembled in the Hiroshima Prefecture in Hiroshima, Japan for the 49th G7 meeting agreed on 19th May to step up their sanctions against Russia, targeting anything that Russia could use to build its war machine and even making efforts to restrict Russian revenue from its metal and diamond exchanges.
The move comes 15 months after Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. It also follows a series of promises by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the European Union on sanctioning Russia, making Russia the most sanctioned country in the present world.
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“This includes exports of industrial machinery, tools, and other technology that Russia uses to rebuild its war machine,” said the leaders of G7 countries in a joint statement. They also added that Russian diamond and metal trading revenues would continue to be restricted through coordinated measures.
With increasing evidence pointing towards the circumvention of existing sanctions, the G7 said that the group was “engaging” with those countries through which Russia is obtaining restricted G7 goods, services, and technology.
“We note and encourage commitments made by these countries to ensure our measures are not circumvented and have the intended effect,” said the world’s richest democracies without naming any territory in particular.
The G7, consisting of the seven richest democracies, met in their 49th meeting with the United States of America’s President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kushida. The meeting is the first G7 meeting for UK Sunak and Italy’s Meloni. Apart from the core countries, notable invitees include Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea, and Ukraine.
The group restated its condemnation of what they called Russia’s aggression and committed to continue supporting Ukraine this year and next year with financial and military assistance for its war-devastated economy. The group is also expected to debate the approach to the Ukraine war, which increasingly persists.
Anonymous officials in the G7 summit said that Zelensky would attend over the weekend. The Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov told state television that it was essential for Volodymyr Zelensky to attend the G7 summit to protect Ukrainian interests. However, the plan is still ambivalent and the presence of Zelensky remains doubtful.
Talks opened Friday afternoon following a visit by the leaders led by the host country, Japan’s Prime Minster Kishida taking the leaders to Hiroshima’s peace park memorials and museums, where the leaders learned about the suffering and devastation caused by the USA’s atom bomb, nicknamed ‘Little Boy’ on Hiroshima in August 1945. Kishida said that he chose Hiroshima as the city for the summit to accentuate the need for arms control. He is also the representative of Hiroshima in Japan’s lower house of Parliament.
The leaders are expected to make statements regarding “a section specific to China” listing topics that include “economic coercion and other behaviour”. The group is reportedly focusing on finding a way to warn China about what they see as a threat to international supply chains and economic security without upsetting a significant trading partner.
Notably, the meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Division or “QUAD” that was supposed to take place in Sydney next week was cancelled after Joe Biden’s unavailability due to the vehement and uncertain negotiations with the US Republican Party about the Debt-Ceiling. Biden would want to ensure that the United States of America does not default on its debt for the first time in its history.
