The Ukrainian head of state Zelensky is demanding more sanctions against Russia and, above all, more weapons from the seven largest economic nations in the West. The war should be over by the end of the year. But for that, the West would have to massively arm Ukraine.
Apparently in a good mood: the G-7 poses for the group picture on Sunday evening.
The second day of the G-7 summit focused even more on the war in Ukraine than on the previous day. The first item on the agenda on Monday morning was the connection of President Volodymyr Zelensky. While the summit participants were sitting around the round table in a good mood, without jackets and ties, but with some of their shirts unbuttoned and in a good mood, a serious-looking President Zelenskiy could already be seen on the screens. The Ukrainian head of state – dressed in military clothes as he has been since the beginning of the war – was obviously not in the mood for a joke.
On Saturday alone, he counted 63 Russian rocket attacks on his country. He therefore had clear concerns: more weapons such as air defense systems and further sanctions against Russia. He also appealed to speed up the delivery of weapons that had already been promised. Any delay is an invitation to Russia to strike again, Selenski said in a video message on Sunday evening.
On Monday morning, the G-7 met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Scholz: “This war must end”
Nothing officially leaked out from the meeting. Nevertheless, individual details became known. The Ukrainian President wants the war to be over by the end of the year. A winter of war would pose great problems for his country. There may be an echo of the date in a tweet that host Olaf Scholz posted after the meeting. “We will continue to increase the pressure on Putin. This war must end,” wrote Scholz. Of course, the German chancellor doesn’t want an indefinitely long dispute between Russia and Ukraine either.
But that is easier said than done. For a quick end to the war on its own terms – and these so far envisage the complete recovery of all occupied territories – Ukraine would need massive military aid. The statement of the G-7 published after the round with Zelenskiy again criticized Russia’s war of aggression in the strongest possible terms and promised Ukraine economic, military and humanitarian aid – “for as long as necessary”.
The commitment to provide post-war reconstruction aid is also of great importance. The G-7 stands ready to support an international recovery plan that is being drawn up by Ukraine in close consultation with bilateral and multilateral partners. Before that, Ukraine alone will decide on what terms it wants to end the war and make peace with Russia.
However, the communiqué did not become more specific. The paper says nothing about the tanks needed to recapture the areas occupied by Russia. However, your delivery would only be logical. Fearing an escalation, none of the G-7 countries has yet delivered western-style main battle tanks to Ukraine. The fact that Russia had announced immediately before the start of the summit on Saturday that it would be supplying nuclear-capable missiles to Belarus in the next few months had an impact on the summit. The seven were “seriously concerned”.
Stricter sanctions against arms industry
On the other hand, there are signs of movement with Zelenski’s demands for tightening of the economic sanctions aimed at Russia. The armaments industry and the technology sector in particular should be in focus. According to the White House, Russia should no longer have access to important materials, services and technologies. “We are determined to reduce Russia’s income, including from gold,” the seven said in a joint paper. No further details were given. Apparently there is no consensus here.
Just before the summit began, the United States and Great Britain announced that they no longer wanted to import Russian gold – after all, one of the country’s most important export goods. Canada and Japan are also involved. They said they were confident that the G-7 would find a common position on this. The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, quickly put a stop to this. There will be no final agreement at the summit, explained Scholz. This has yet to be discussed within the EU.
Debate on price caps for Russian oil
Another internal point of contention is the question of a price cap for Russian commodities such as oil. The US has proposed a price cap. This is intended to force Russia to sell its oil at significantly lower prices than it currently does. In the EU, on the other hand, there is skepticism as to whether the measure really has the desired effect or whether it will actually do harm. The G-7 knows that their sanctions and measures are still not affecting Russia as desired. Increased prices or increased purchases by other countries such as India compensate for the import ban or even give Russia more income.
This is how G-7 and G-20 members have positioned themselves towards Russia
The major economies of the world were and are not in agreement on the UN votes on the Ukraine war and on the sanctions against Russia.
2nd March: UN condemnation of Russian aggression
March 24: UN resolution on the humanitarian consequences of aggression
7th of April: Suspension of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council
The second half of the day was therefore eagerly awaited, in which consultations took place with the guest countries India, South Africa, Senegal, Argentina and Indonesia invited by Scholz. These are democratic countries, but they do not easily follow the Western line on Russia. For example, neither India nor South Africa have condemned the Russian aggression at the United Nations or joined the sanctions of the West. Other countries, such as Argentina, have condemned Russia’s war of aggression but have not imposed sanctions. The G-7 has set itself the goal of bringing the positions closer together. She wants to refute Putin’s claim that the West is isolated.
In the “we” of democracies
Scholz addressed the differences of opinion directly after the deliberations. It is no secret that people look at the war from different perspectives. But mutual listening creates understanding. In the joint “Declaration of 2022 on resilient democracies” there was neither a condemnation of Russia nor an acceptance of the sanctions of the West.
Nevertheless, in addition to cooperation on individual issues such as combating climate change or pandemic management, it also contained a commitment to the validity of international law. “As democracies, we strive to promote a rules-based international order,” the statement said solemnly. “We salute all those who bravely defend democratic systems and oppose oppression and violence.” But neither the perpetrators nor the victims were named.