The United States announced this Sunday a new battery of sanctions against Russia in the framework of a G7 leaders meetingin which the major industrial powers pledged to further isolate Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
The European G7 countries were unable to announce their own sanctions because the European Union (EU) was unable to reach an agreement today to ban oil imports from Russia due to the dependence of some partners on Moscow crude.
However, in a joint statement distributed by the White House, G7 leaders reiterated their commitment to reduce dependence on Russian energy and stated that they will increase their campaign to further isolate the Russian economy with new measures against its financial sector.
In the meetingwhich was held in a virtualthe Ukrainian president was also present, Volodímir Zelenskiwho reaffirmed his intention to defeat the Russian troops and explained that Ukraine depends on its international partners, in particular the G7, to obtain sufficient military resources and so that the Ukrainian economy can recover after the destruction of the war, according to the White House .
In response, the G7 leaders they reiterated their commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and promised to take further action against Russia.
Sanctions against directors of Gazprombank
Despite the threats in the joint statement, The only country that announced sanctions this Sunday was the United Stateswhich restricted the access to visas of 27 directors of the Russian bank Gazprombank.
A senior US official explained to the press that the sanctions against Gazprombank executives seek to give a “warning” to the entitya banking subsidiary of the Russian state gas company Gazprom and the only channel authorized by the Kremlin for EU members to make their Russian gas payments.
However, since the sanctions are not directed against the bank itself but against its directors, European countries will be able to continue trading with Russiasaid that source.
Washington also retaliated against eight senior officials of the Sberbank entitythe most important in Russia, as it represents 37% of its financial system.
Total, The United States announced this Sunday similar measures against 2,600 people that he claims are part of the Russian elite or are Russian or Belarusian officials, who allegedly have helped perpetrate aggression against the sovereignty of Ukraine or have violated human rights.
Take the microphone off Putin’s propaganda “machine”
On the other hand, the US government retaliated against three television networks: Channel One, Rossiya and NTV, the latter owned by the powerful communication group Gazprom-Media, itself a subsidiary of Gazprom.
Washington accuses the chains of having become part of the Russian president’s propaganda “machine”Vladimir Putin.
As a result of the sanctions, those three stations will be barred from acquiring the technology they need to make their broadcasts, from US-made cameras and microphones to sound equipment and lighting systems.
In addition, Washington announced sanctions against Promtekhnologiya, a company that produces weapons used by Russian troops in Ukraineas well as against seven shipping companies that own or operate 69 vessels and one maritime towage entity.
The sale to Russia by US companies of industrial materials that could be used for the war in Ukraine, such as bulldozers, industrial engines, fans, boilers and wood products, will also be prohibited.
In addition, the US government has decreed that US companies may not provide accounting and advisory services to any Russian person or entity.
Symbolic gestures of solidarity with Ukraine
Beyond the US sanctions, several G7 countries expressed their solidarity with Ukraine by visiting the country by surprise, gestures of special symbolism as they coincided with the call victory daythe anniversary of the Capitulation of the Third Reich and the defeat of Nazism in World War II.
For example, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Irpin Townshipin the kyiv region, accompanied by its mayor, Oleksandr Markushin, according to the Ukrainian portal Ukrinfrom.
In the meantime, the president of the German Parliament (Bundestag), the social democrat Bärbel Bas, traveled to kyiv to participate in the commemorations of the end of World War II, becoming the first high-ranking figure from Germany to visit Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.
On the other hand, the American first lady, Jill Biden, surprise crossed the border between Slovakia and Ukraine to meet with the wife of the Ukrainian president, Olena Zelenska, in a show of solidarity that coincided with the celebration of Mother’s Day in both the US and the Slavic country.
The G7 summit was announced on Friday by the German governmentthe country that holds the rotating presidency.
The Group of 7 (G7) was previously known as the G8, but Russia was expelled in 2014 following its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.
–
