2023-05-19 21:45:00
The leaders of the G7 countries, flanked by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen G7 Hiroshima Summit Host HANDO | EFE
The Hiroshima summit aims to deprive Moscow of war technology
19 may 2023 . Updated at 9:45 p.m.
Hiroshimaone of the two Japanese cities attacked with the atomic bomb in World War II, hosts from this Friday the G7 summit. The leaders of the member countries signaled that Russia and the war in Ukraine will continue to drive the international agenda in the short term and agreed on a new batch of sanctions aimed at “suffocating the Russian war machine” and closing loopholes that have allowed Russian individuals and entities to evade international punishment.
In a statement released at the end of a closed-door meeting, the G7 leaders reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine to achieve a “just, complete and lasting peace” that requires the “unconditional and complete withdrawal of Russian troops”. From Hiroshima, living memory of the tragedy of the war, the seven world powers once again insisted on the idea that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is not only “a manifest violation of the UN charter” but that it has a global dimension with “impact” on the rest of the world.
As proof of their support for the Ukrainian cause, they announced an agreement to impose a new round of sanctions on Russia to deprive its war machine of “technology, equipment and services.” Washington, Ottawa and London would have been the main drivers of this round of measures. The UK will ban the import of Russian diamonds, copper, aluminum and nickel. Canada announced new sanctions on individuals and companies linked to the provision of technology to Russia. The United States, for its part, will update its blacklist of entities that cannot receive US exports and will impose sanctions on 300 individuals, entities and means of transport that help Russia avoid the sanctions regime and finance the war.
Japan will also update its list of sanctioned companies, and Germany, France and Italy, subject to the approval of the European Union, promised to announce a new sanctions package coming soon.
Zelensky’s visit
A potential visit by Volodimir Zelensky to Hiroshima sparked speculation on Friday. If the Ukrainian president was initially expected to participate in the summit electronically, Kiev announced early this Friday that it would travel to Japan “to provide clear proposals and arguments about what is happening” in his country, according to the secretary of the National Defense Council, Oleksii Danilov. Later, official Ukrainian sources denied Zelensky’s trip. As the first day of the summit drew to a close, the latest script twist jumped from the Indian media by confirming that Zelenski and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were set to meet in Hiroshima on Sunday. For security reasons, the Ukrainian president’s agenda is kept secret.
The second day of the summit will focus on agreeing on new tools to curb China’s “economic duress.”
The Kremlin adds another 500 Americans to its blacklist, including Obama
Russia added others 500 Americansincluding former President Barack Obama, to his blacklist in response to the new sanctions package imposed by the US “Washington should have understood long ago that not a single hostile attack against Russia will go without a harsh response,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Among those sanctioned that are prohibited from entering Russian territory are senior officials, congressmen and senators elected in November 2022, as well as heads of military industry companies that supply weapons to Ukraine.
The black list includes those members of the State security organs that persecute dissidents and gives as an example the participants in the assault on the Capitol that occurred in January 2021. There are also experts and analysts from centers that have participated in the diffusion of fake news about Russia, journalists and well-known presenters such as James Kimmel or Stephen Colbert.
The Russian Interior Ministry declared in search and capture of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Ahmad Khan, who issued an arrest warrant against President Vladimir Putin, according to the independent portal Mediazona, which adds a screenshot of the Russian Interior search system that contains the photo and other personal data of the prosecutor.
#agrees #sanctions #Russia #suffocate #war #machine