G7 announces new sanctions to make Russia pay for war in Ukraine

The leaders of the seven most industrialized nations, also known as the G7, announced on Friday new sanctions to make Russia for the war in Ukraine and reaffirmed their commitment to help kyiv “as long as it takes”.

The Group of Seven unveiled that position in a joint statement at the end of a closed-door meeting on Ukraine, which was held on the first day of the leaders’ summit in hiroshima.

“We have reaffirmed our commitment to a common front against Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine”, declared the heads of state and government of the group of major industrialized democracies.

The package includes restrictions on exports of goods “critical for Russia on the battlefield”, as well as measures against entities accused of bringing material to the front for the benefit of Moscow.

The United States already set the tone this Friday morning by announcing new sanctions against Moscow to restrict Russia’s access to “products necessary for their combat capabilities”.

The United Kingdom in turn announced measures against the Russian mining sector, and in particular the diamond industry.

In his statement, the G7 also pledged torestrict trade and use of diamonds mined, treated or produced in Russia”, making use of tracking technologies for this.

“We are imposing more sanctions and measures to increase the cost to Russia and those who support its war effort.”, the leaders said in their statement, in which they also renewed their commitment to support Ukraine at the financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic levels.

He G7 detailed some of hiscoordinated sanctions” and other economic measures to cut off Moscow’s financing channels and its use of products and materials that can be used in the military industry, among which are restrictions on “new key sectors” such as construction, transportation and business.

The new measures will also try to prevent Russia from circumventing existing sanctions, which includes working with third countries.”through which G7-restricted goods, services and technologies can be supplied” to Moscow.

In general terms, the Group of Seven explained that its new actions seek to cut off Moscow’s access to the international financial system and “limit their energy income and future extraction capacities”, according to the statement.

They also stressed their willingness to continue reducing their dependence on Russian energy and other raw materials, and to reduce the income they Russia obtains from the diamond trade, for which “will cooperate with other key countries” in this sector with a view to applying “future restrictive measures”.

US, Canada and UK lead sanctions

Even though he G7 wants to show unity, three of the countries in the group (the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom) have led this new wave of sanctions, while another three (Italy, Germany, France) will soon announce a new package agreed within the European Union .

In line with this joint statement, Japan also plans to expand its list of sanctioned companies and individuals with actors from the construction and industrial manufacturing sectors.

Specifically, as a senior US official told the press, USA will include 70 entities from Russia and other countries in a “blacklist” from the Department of Commerce so that they cannot receive US exports.

In addition, the US Executive will impose 300 new sanctions against individuals, entities, ships and planes that are helping Russia to evade the sanctions imposed by the West for the war in Ukraine or that contribute to financing the conflict, for example through the purchase of energy resources. .

For his part, United Kingdom announced that it will ban diamond exports from Russia and veto imports of copper, aluminum and nickel of Russian origin.

As reported by Downing Street – the office and official residence of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – in a statement, the new economic restrictions will affect 86 individuals and companies linked to the Russian industrial complex and other key sectors for the Russian economy, such as energy, metals and transport by ship.

In addition, Canada plans to announce sanctions against 17 individuals and 18 Russian companies that provide the Kremlin with technology for military use, a Canadian official told the CBC, who announced that there will also be sanctions against 30 individuals for human rights violations.

“Just peace” includes “complete withdrawal” of Russian troops

In the six-page joint communiqué, the idea of ​​achieving a “complete, just and lasting peace” occupies a prominent place: it appeared as the second of the eleven sections of the writing.

Specifically, the G7 considered that it is not possible to achieve ajust peace” without the “complete and unconditional withdrawal” of Russian troops, although as on other occasions the group avoided specifically committing to Ukraine’s recapture of Russian-occupied territories such as the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

The representatives of the G7However, they reaffirmed their commitment to the approaches to achieving peace made by the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski.

Zelensky is scheduled to travel to Japan to participate in person at the G7 summit, which opened in Hiroshima today and ends on Sunday.

With information from EFE and AFP