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Canada, the US and other Group of Seven allies plan to introduce new sanctions and export controls against individuals and companies supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
The world’s main democratic economic meeting will hear from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who is expected to attend in person, according to several international media reports.
Canadian officials, speaking in the background, would not confirm the personal presence of the Ukrainian president, but noted that the topic of war, which was expected to be discussed on Friday, was postponed until Saturday.
In his nightly address to the people on Thursday, Zelenskyy said he was looking for more modern weapons from the country’s allies.
“Our priorities for this week, next week, and in the future are additional air defense systems, additional missiles, training and aircraft, and long-range weapons,” Zelenskyy said.
“And this shall be fulfilled.”
The Biden administration has signaled to European allies that the US will allow them to export F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, CNN reported late Thursday, on the eve of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
The network quoted an unnamed senior administration official, who added that he was not aware of any allied countries seeking permission to export 4th generation fighter jets, which are more advanced than those currently being flown by Ukrainian pilots.
Leaders have arrived and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has held several bilateral meetings, including with host leaders Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with whom he raised the issue of curbs and discrimination against gay couples in the country. .
“Obviously, Canada is concerned about some of the positions that Italy has taken on LGBT rights, but I look forward to talking about it,” Trudeau said.
Meloni responded that his administration followed the court’s decision and did not deviate from the previous administration.
Canada to open more sanctions
The war in Ukraine, however, was the dominant theme there.
A senior Canadian official, speaking in the background, said early Friday that Canadian sanctions plans to unveil will target Russian companies that “provide military technology.”
It comes at a crucial time as allied military observers have noted Russia’s use of new hypersonic missiles in airstrikes in Ukraine – a sign it could ramp up production.
Britain plans to ban imports of Russian diamonds – an industry worth about $4 billion a year – as part of its latest sanctions package, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said ahead of the summit. Canada has sanctioned the Russian diamond industry.
Retired Admiral Mike Mullen, former chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he thought it was only a matter of time before the West provided fighter jets to Ukraine to help the country defend its airspace.
Other countries have been slow to act. G7 leaders are expected to discuss how to better track the diamond trade, with the aim of the European Union imposing sanctions later, a senior EU official told Reuters.
The message was reinforced by the president of the European Council.
“Russian diamonds are not forever,” Charles Michel told reporters on the sidelines of the summit.
The allies have continued to impose sanctions and export control pressure on Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Canada says sanctions are in place
Thousands of targets sanctioned by Washington so far include Russian President Vladimir Putin, the financial sector and oligarchs.
Experts say they expect G7 leaders to focus on tightening existing sanctions and implementing measures to counter sanctions. A new US Treasury Department report documents how Russian elites have transferred ownership of companies and assets to family members – or other proxies – in an effort to hide their wealth.
Speaking ahead of the summit, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly confirmed that the sanctions regime imposed on Russia was in place.
“We have seen that the impact of the G7 sanctions on Russia is really affecting, negatively, militarily, especially the possibility that the Russian army can access key technologies that come from the west,” he said.
“Meanwhile, we know we have to look at the question of sanctions evasion [G7] the finance minister has looked into this and the foreign minister has looked into this, and the leaders will also look into this.
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