Representatives of the Group of Seven industrialized countries of the world (G7) promised today that they will "raise the price of war" for Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine, during a virtual summit held on the second anniversary of the start of the war.
"We will continue to increase the cost of Russia's war, reduce its revenues and hinder its efforts to build its war machine, as shown by the sanctions packages we recently adopted," the G7, chaired by Italy this year, said in a statement.
It was the first summit of the G7, which consists of the US, Japan, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and Canada.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni was in Kyiv today where she presided over a virtual meeting, together with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Commission President Ursulon von der Leyen, who were also in the capital of Ukraine.
G7 leaders criticized China and Iran for their logistical support to Russia.
"We call on Iran to stop supporting the Russian army," the statement said, adding that they are concerned "about the transfer of Chinese companies to Russia, that is, components for weapons and equipment for military production."
North Korea was also the target of criticism. The G7 condemned "North Korea's export and supply of ballistic missiles to Russia". The G7 leaders called for an "immediate cessation of such activities".
While Canada and Italy signed bilateral agreements with Ukraine today, following the example of those already concluded by Germany and France, the G7 called on all donors to confirm their financial contribution for 2024.
"We call for the approval of additional aid to meet the remaining budgetary needs of Ukraine in 2024," the G7 leaders said, alluding to the blockade of US aid to Ukraine in the US Congress.
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