Hiroshima At the start of the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, the heads of state and government are handed a shovel. In the Peace Museum, which commemorates the US atomic bomb attack on the city on August 6, 1945, the heads of government plant peace trees. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) also pours some soil on the young trees. Hiroshima is a “memorial that we have a responsibility for peace and security in the world,” Scholz said after his arrival.
There could hardly be a place more symbolic than Hiroshima as a meeting place for the G7 summit in these times. Because the focus of the three-day meeting is again a war, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. And with it a new concern about the use of nuclear weapons, even if Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats have recently eased. It was also announced on Friday that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will personally attend the G7 summit.
At their summit, the G7 want to set further signs in the direction of Moscow and follow up on the punitive measures against Russia. The new sanctions are aimed, among other things, at Moscow’s lucrative commodity trade.
However, the scope of the sanctions is still being debated. There should not be a comprehensive ban on all exports and services, as the USA has in mind. The Europeans are more concerned with closing loopholes in existing sanctions.
Before the summit, however, the USA and Great Britain pushed ahead with the announcement of new punitive measures. According to US officials, the new US sanctions package will include “broad restrictions on categories of goods critical to the battlefield” and restrict some 70 Russian and third-country facilities to US agencies by adding them to the US Commerce Department’s blacklist. prevent exports, as a government official said.
US punishes Russian financiers
The USA also wants to impose other penalties on more than 300 people, companies and organizations, ships and aircraft. It is about financial and other supporters of Russia. The sanctions hit targets in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In addition, sanctioning powers should be extended to the digital sector of the Russian economy.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to announce a ban on Russian diamonds and imports of metals such as copper, aluminum and nickel from Russia in support of Ukraine. The UK is also targeting another 86 individuals and companies associated with Russian President Putin’s military-industrial affiliation who are involved in the energy, metals and shipping industries, the government said in a statement.
The G7 want to coordinate their new sanctions against Russia at their three-day summit. The US official said all G7 countries are preparing new sanctions and export controls. He did not want to comment on the partners’ plans in detail.
The 27 EU countries are currently working on an eleventh package of sanctions against Russia, which has not yet been completed. EU sanctions against Russian goods are considered particularly effective because the Union is a much larger trading partner for Russia than, for example, the USA or Great Britain. Japan and Canada are also expected to announce new sanctions.
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Even before the meeting in Hiroshima, it had become known that all G7 countries wanted to limit the export of rough diamonds from Russia. EU Council President Charles Michel said measures like these were aimed at further reducing the Russian state’s revenues after the invasion of Ukraine.
According to the EU Council President, the possible delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will also be an issue.
(Photo: dpa)
Russia is considered the world’s largest producer of rough diamonds, and the diamond trade is a good source of income for Russia. The state sponsor Alrosa made around four billion euros in sales in 2021.
US fails with push for export ban
The White House had previously advocated even more extensive sanctions with the G7 partners and advocated completely changing the sanctions system in order to prevent circumvention. The idea was a complete export ban, which should be supplemented with a list of exceptions.
Now, however, the opposite is the case, with bans on individual goods and groups of goods being imposed and extended. A ban on all exports and services is not only politically difficult, but also legally delicate, it said. Experts believe that a complete export ban could at best be agreed as a wish for the future.
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At their summit, the G7 also want to discuss further support for Ukraine. According to EU Council President Michel, the possible delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will also be an issue. There will be an opportunity to discuss the issue with US President Joe Biden. “It is very clear that Ukraine needs more military equipment,” he said.
US news channel CNN previously reported that Biden had signaled to European allies in recent weeks that the US would allow them to ship US-built F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Britain and the Netherlands confirmed on Tuesday that they would build an international coalition to help Ukraine procure the F-16. It is also supported by France. In a first step, Ukrainian pilots are to be trained for this.
On the first day of the summit, the G7 initially discuss the state of the global economy. In addition to the Ukraine war, dealing with China will be a major topic at the summit. For the first time, the G7 has its own working session on the subject of “Economic Security”. A declaration against “economic coercion” is also planned for the first time, naming China as an actor that puts trading partners under pressure through coercive measures.
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