G7 ministers' communiqué omits new sanctions against Russia – Reuters
Photo: The G7 communiqué did not include new sanctions against Russia (Getty Images)
In the draft communiqué following the meeting, the G7 foreign ministers did not include new sanctions against Russia. But the joint statement will mention security guarantees for Ukraine, according to Reuters.
The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United States, and Japan gathered in the Canadian city of La Malbaie.
Agreeing on the text of a joint communiqué was difficult, but the overall atmosphere between the diplomats was positive. The discussions lasted until late at night.
“If we can't reach agreement on the communique, then it shows the division. It's not in the interest of any of the members of the G7,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told the media.
She added that she was optimistic that there had been "good wording" on Ukraine so far, which she hoped would continue.
The United States tried to set red lines in the wording on Ukraine and opposed a separate declaration on deterring the shadow fleet of Russia.
The draft communique, which Reuters has seen, does not mention new sanctions against Russia. However, the document does mention the need for reliable security guarantees for Ukraine to ensure compliance with the ceasefire.
The document contains tougher wording on China, as demanded by the United States, and “encouraging” language on Taiwan.
The G7 foreign ministers' meeting took place on March 12-14 in Canada, which currently holds the G7 presidency.
Earlier, the United States for the first time opposed naming Russia as an aggressor in a joint statement by the G7 countries. It was prepared for the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
The US also proposed its own version of the UN resolution, which was much weaker in content than the one proposed by Ukraine and Europe. The document did not actually name Russia as an aggressor.
