HIROSHIMA — Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries have agreed to impose further sanctions on Russia and have “reaffirmed” their commitment to stand against Moscow’s “illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked” war in Ukraine.
The further sanctions and measures are intended “to increase the costs to Russia and those who are supporting its war effort,” and build on efforts to “ensure that Russia is no longer able to weaponize the availability of energy,” the G7 leaders said in a statement issued from the G7 summit in Hiroshima.
“We will broaden our actions to ensure that exports of all items critical to Russia’s aggression including those used by Russia on the battlefield are restricted across all our jurisdictions,” the statement said.
This will include “exports of industrial machinery, tools, and other technology that Russia uses to rebuild its war machine,” the statement continued. Key sectors that will be targeted include manufacturing, construction, and transportation as well as business services.
Leaders said they “remain committed” to upholding the price caps on Russian oil and petroleum products and will enhance efforts “to counter evasion of these caps while avoiding spillover effects and maintaining global energy supply.”
G7 leaders also renewed their commitment to provide “the financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support Ukraine requires for as long as it takes,” echoing previous vows of support for Kyiv.
“Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not tire in our commitment to mitigate the impact of Russia’s illegal actions on the rest of the world,” the statement said.
Furthermore, leaders underlined that peace “cannot be realized without the complete and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops and military equipment,” and reiterated that threats by Russia of nuclear weapon use are “inadmissible.” – CNN