G7 Leaders Announce New Sanctions Against Russia to Deprive Them of War Support Technologies and Equipment

The leaders of the G7 countries meeting at a summit in Hiroshima, Japan, decided on Friday on new sanctions aimed at “depriving Russia of the technologies, industrial equipment and services of the G7 which support its war enterprise”.

The move comes after the United States, United Kingdom and European Union announced new efforts to toughen their stance against Moscow, 15 months after Russia’s Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.

Today “we reaffirmed our commitment to stand together against Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine”, the Heads of State and Government of the Group of Major Democracies said. industrialized countries of the world, with which the EU is associated.

The new measures include restrictions on exports of goods “essential to Russia on the battlefield”, as well as the targeting of entities accused of bringing material to the front line on behalf of Moscow, according to a statement.

The United States had set the tone by announcing on Friday morning new sanctions against Moscow to “significantly restrict Russia’s access to products necessary for its combat capabilities”.

The United Kingdom followed by announcing new measures targeting the Russian mining sector, including its lucrative diamond industry, which brings in billions of dollars to Moscow every year.

In its communiqué, the G7 also pledged to “restrict the trade and use of diamonds mined, processed or produced in Russia”, in particular by using tracking technologies.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected in person in Hiroshima for this summit scheduled until Sunday, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to AFP on Friday, who did not specify when he would arrive.

Mr. Zelensky has just completed a tour of several European countries, and the official program of the Hiroshima summit initially provided for his intervention on Sunday by videoconference.

“Very important things will be decided on the spot, and therefore the presence, the presence in person of our president is absolutely essential to defend our interests”, said the secretary of the Ukrainian Security Council Oleksiï Danilov.