G7 plans tougher language to pressure China over Russia support - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
G7 ministers plan to increase pressure on China over its assistance to Russia in the war against Ukraine. New sanctions and measures against Russia's “shadow fleet” are expected to be adopted.
G7 allies intend to increase pressure on China while offering Ukraine "unwavering commitment" amid accusations that Beijing has increased support for Russia in its war against Ukraine, Bloomberg reports, UNN writes.
Details
G7 foreign ministers meeting in Italy on Monday and Tuesday are expected to pledge to "take appropriate action, consistent with our legal systems, against actors in China and other third countries" that support Russia's "war machine" in Ukraine, according to an early draft communiqué seen by Bloomberg.
Ukraine's allies are seeking to take tough measures against countries that help Moscow's war effort, especially before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, the newspaper notes.
The wording on China, if adopted, would represent an "escalation" from the previous meeting of foreign ministers in April, when the G7 called on China to "ensure" that it stops supporting Russia with "dual-use weapons," the newspaper said.
It is also expected that the G7 allies "will continue to put significant pressure on Russian revenues from energy, metals and other goods through effective implementation of existing measures and further actions against the ‘shadow fleet’.
The new measures will reportedly be aimed at limiting the use of a secret fleet of tankers assembled by Russia to circumvent price ceilings and restrictions aimed at Russia's ability to supply its oil to the market.
Communiqués are often amended before the final version is published, and changes can still be made to the wording.
European Union foreign ministers reportedly discussed the issue last week, and German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock warned that China's aid to Russia "will and must have consequences.
The latest talk about China's role comes after reports in July that Chinese and Russian companies are developing a strike drone similar to the Iranian model deployed in Ukraine. "This has raised concerns that Beijing could be moving closer to providing lethal assistance, something Western officials have warned against," the newspaper pointed out.
Another section of the draft communiqué reportedly "condemns North Korea's massacre of its soldiers in Ukraine" and calls for de-escalation in the Middle East.
"While the U.S. has endorsed the use of long-range weapons against Russia, diplomats with knowledge of the talks said the final communiqué is unlikely to have that kind of consensus, as some countries, such as Italy, do not support that position and have repeatedly said that the weapons they supply should be used only for defensive purposes," Bloomberg notes.
