The leaders of the G7 countries unveiled this Friday a new series of sanctions against Russia at the opening of the summit in Hiroshima, Japan, a highly symbolic place while Moscow regularly brandishes the threat of a nuclear escalation.
The seven major powers (United States, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Canada) renewed their support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia and reaffirmed their desire to restrict Russian exports.
“Today, we are taking further steps to thwart Russia’s unlawful aggression against a sovereign state and to support the people of Ukraine in their quest for a just peace anchored in respect for international law,” they said. declared in a joint press release.
Increase the cost to be paid by Russia
The new measures aim to sanction the export of goods and technology via third countries which could be used in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. “We are imposing new sanctions and measures to increase the cost to be paid by Russia and by those who support its war effort,” the joint statement read.
“We also build on the success of the steps taken to ensure that Russia can no longer instrumentalize the availability of energy against us and against the rest of the world.”
“The aim is to provide clarification in order to make it more difficult to circumvent sanctions,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
No country is named by the G7 but a separate press release from the European Union asks the countries of Central Asia to beware of these practices.
The US Treasury Department detailed in a separate statement new US sanctions against 300 individuals and entities, in addition to the thousands of individuals or companies already targeted since the start of the war in Ukraine.
These actions, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said, “will tighten the noose on Putin’s ability to carry out his barbaric invasion.”
500 Americans targeted by Moscow
Moscow responded by announcing the banishment from its territory of 500 American nationals, including former President Barack Obama.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he chose to host the summit in Hiroshima, the first city in history to be hit by a nuclear bomb in 1945, to highlight the importance of arms control.
In a separate statement, the seven member countries called for building a world without nuclear weapons, urged Russia, China, Iran and North Korea to halt nuclear escalation and called Russia’s nuclear rhetoric “dangerous”. and unacceptable”.
Diamond Restrictions
European Council President Charles Michel has announced that the European Union will impose restrictions on Russian diamond sales, saying on Twitter that these are “not forever”.
On the sidelines of the summit, the British government said it would formalize an embargo on Russian diamonds and ban imports of Russian metals including copper and aluminum.
Britain also announced in a statement that it was sanctioning 86 people and entities linked to what it calls the theft and resale of Ukrainian grain.
The sanctions also target major Russian companies in the energy and arms transport sector, including those linked to the state-owned nuclear company Rosatom, as well as the owner of the Russian Copper Company, Igor Altushkin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected in Japan on Sunday, the third and last day of the summit, said two officials involved in the organization of the G7, refusing to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the visit.