Nearly 15 months since Russian forces launched their attack on Ukraine, and with few signs of a cease-fire on the horizon, Group of Seven leaders agreed Friday in Hiroshima on a fresh set of measures to rein in Moscow’s “war machine” to “increase the costs to Russia and those who are supporting its war effort.”
Sending a strong message of solidarity with Kyiv ahead of an anticipated visit to Hiroshima by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — his first trip to Asia since the war began — the G7 pledged to tighten the screws on Moscow by building on previous onerous measures, the leaders said in a joint statement focusing on Ukraine.
The bloc said these measures would include further restrictions on Russia’s access to G7 economies, the beefing up of export bans “across all our jurisdictions” on “all items critical to Russia’s aggression” and the further targeting of those operating in key sectors, such as manufacturing, construction, transportation and business services.