Filenews 19 May 2023
The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries attending the summit in Hiroshima, Japan, today decided on new sanctions aimed at "depriving Russia of G7 technologies, industrial equipment and services that support its war effort".
The decision comes after the United States, Britain and the European Union announced new efforts to toughen their position against Moscow, 15 months after Vladimir Putin's Russia invaded Ukraine.
Today "we reaffirmed our commitment to make a common front against Russia's illegal, unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine", the heads of state or government of the Group of Seven largest industrialised countries in the world (USA, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada), to which the EU is linked, said in a joint communiqué released after a meeting dedicated to Ukraine.
"We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, Russia's manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and the impact of Russia's war on the rest of the world. 15 months of Russia's aggression have claimed thousands of lives, inflicted immense suffering on the people of Ukraine and jeopardized access to food and energy for many of the world's most vulnerable people. We express our full sympathy and condolences to the Ukrainian people for their loss and pain. We salute the Ukrainian people for their brave resistance. Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not tire of our commitment to mitigate the impact of Russia's illegal actions on the rest of the world," the leaders said in a joint statement.
The measures
The new measures include restrictions on exports of goods "essential to Russia on the battlefield" as well as targeting entities accused of funnelling material to the front on behalf of Moscow, according to the statement.
The United States had set the tone by announcing new sanctions against Moscow this morning to "significantly limit Russia's access to products essential to its combat capabilities."
Britain followed suit by announcing new measures targeting Russia's mining sector, including the lucrative diamond industry, which generates billions of dollars each year in Russia.
In its announcement, the G7 also pledged to "restrict the trade and use of diamonds mined, processed or displayed in Russia," notably by resorting to tracking technologies.
"Diamonds are not eternal," European Council President Charles Michel said ironically.
The sanctions show that "the G7 remains united in the face of Russia's threat and steadfast in its support for Ukraine," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
G7 leaders also said they had ensured Ukraine had the fiscal support it needed this year and early 2024.
