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G7 leaders on Friday announced plans to further sanction Russia as they affirmed their support for Ukraine as it seeks to fend off Moscow more than a year after its forces invaded. Photo by Simon Dawson/No. 10 Downing Street/UPI |
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May 19 (UPI) — World leaders at the G7 summit in Japan announced new sanctions against Russia Friday in hopes of crippling Moscow’s ability to keep up the fight in Ukraine after nearly 15 months of war.
The measures were announced before officials also said on Friday that the United States and its allies would provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
The sanctions will aim to further restrict Moscow from importing additional military support for the war by cutting off its access to distribution channels that continue to supply Russia with weapons and ammunition, the group said in a statement released by the White House.
The sanctions were announced at the three-day summit in Hiroshima, where President Joe Biden met with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan for discussions on Ukraine and its defense while also addressing growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, among other pressing issues.
The group agreed to “remain united in imposing coordinated sanctions and other economic actions to further undermine Russia’s capacity to wage its illegal aggression” in Ukraine, the statement said.
The group called on Russian business allies to “cease providing material support to Russia’s aggression, or face severe costs,” while vowing to crack down on industries that have been used by Russia to transport weapons and other critical materials to the front lines.
After holding talks on long-term defense support for Ukraine, the members agreed to target Russia’s manufacturing, construction, and transportation industries as well as its other business services worldwide in an effort to seize any materials that would ultimately help Russia on the battlefield.
“We will starve Russia of G7 technology, industrial equipment and services that support its war machine,” the statement said. “We will continue to shield agricultural, medical, and humanitarian products from our restrictive measures and make every effort to avoid potential spillover impacts on third countries.”
The sanctions include separate provisions that call for accountability for war crimes and for Russia to pay for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.
“We will continue our efforts to ensure that Russia pays for the long-term reconstruction of Ukraine,” the group statement continued. “We will continue to take measures available within our domestic frameworks to find, restrain, freeze, seize, and, where appropriate, confiscate or forfeit the assets of those individuals and entities that have been sanctioned in connection with Russia’s aggression.”
The group emphasized its support for the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in March after charging him with war crimes related to the kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
The leaders also said they were taking steps to “fully map” Russia’s sovereign assets after more than 40 nations called for the creation of an international body that would keep a tally of damage to ensure funds remain frozen “until Russia pays for the damage it has caused.”
The more immediate goal, however, was to curtail Russia’s increasing manipulation of the international financial system to continue bankrolling the war.
“We are prepared to take further measures against those willfully supporting the financing of Russia’s war,” the statement from the leaders continued, adding that they would target Russian banks on foreign soil to keep them from avoiding economic sanctions.
On Friday, NBC News reported that the United States and its allies would provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, although the timing for when the country will receive them is unclear. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had repeatedly asked for the fighter jets, but the Biden administration has been unwilling to provide them, saying they are not necessary.
Some officials have speculated that training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s could take anywhere from six to 18 months.
Also Friday, the British government announced separate sanctions that will freeze the assets of 86 Russian citizens and entities — taking aim at the country’s theft of Ukrainian grain and advanced military technology, while targeting Moscow’s remaining revenue sources, according to a statement from the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The sanctions were intended to squeeze Russia’s energy, metals, defense, transportation, and financial sectors and put increased pressure on President Vladimir Putin by going after his most critical resources as the Russian military was depleted after more than a year of fighting.
They sought to ensnare companies connected to Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear energy giant, which was intended to hamper Russia’s ability to produce advanced weapons and other technology, including lasers.
As the summit kicked off a day ago, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a ban on Russian diamonds, a $4 billion export industry for Moscow, as well as imports of Russian copper, aluminum and nickel.
The group noted that Russia’s invasion had violated the Charter of the United Nations while causing the deaths of thousands of soldiers and civilians.
“We are taking steps to support partners worldwide as they navigate the suffering caused by Russia’s war, including through humanitarian assistance,” the statement said. “We are also building on the success of our efforts to ensure that Russia is no longer able to weaponize the availability of energy against us and against the world. ”
The sanctions were the latest in a string of moves by world nations to punish Moscow, with the European Union passing a 10th round of sanctions against Russia in February when the war marked its one-year anniversary.