Germany and the other G7 countries are facing demands from Ukraine for more military aid and new punitive measures against Russia.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the group of leading democratic industrial nations to increase speed and courage in arms deliveries after joint consultations on Friday. He also called for legislation to be passed to confiscate Russian state assets and make them available to Ukraine for the country’s reconstruction.
Foreign ministers from the G7 states are still advising as of this Saturday afternoon under the chairmanship of Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) at a luxury hotel near the Baltic Sea Weißenhauser beach in Schleswig-Holstein. Topics include the war in Eastern Europe and the corona pandemic. Germany currently chairs the group, which includes Germany, the US NATO states, Canada, France, Great Britain, Italy and Japan. Foreign ministers from all NATO countries will meet in Berlin on Saturday night. The main topic of this meeting is the war in Ukraine.
After chatting with his G7 colleagues, Kuleba said that when you’re fighting, it doesn’t help if the weapons you need are still “on the way.” That’s why they talked about how to ensure that Ukraine has everything it needs to defeat Russia militarily. Kuleba mentioned the delivery of several rocket launchers and the strengthening of the Ukrainian air force as important for Ukraine.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss showed understanding of the demands. “Now it’s very important that we keep up the pressure on Vladimir Putin by providing Ukraine with more weapons and tightening sanctions,” she said. To help Ukraine, it is necessary to “go further and faster”.
Seize Russian Assets for Ukraine’s Reconstruction
Kuleba urged Germany and other G7 countries to pass legislation to confiscate Russian state assets and make them available to Ukraine for the country’s reconstruction. “We’re talking hundreds of billions of dollars in Europe,” he said. Russia had to pay for the war politically, economically, but also financially.
Kuleba urgently warned the EU that negotiations on a ban on Russian oil imports would fail. If the EU’s planned sixth sanctions package is passed without an oil embargo, Russian President Vladimir Putin can rejoice. The unity of the EU would then be broken for the first time. Plans for a European oil embargo against Russia hang in the balance because Hungary is unwilling to back the project.
Baerbock: G7 concerted response to global impact
At the meeting, German Foreign Minister Baerbock announced a concerted G7 response to the global consequences of the Russian war. Moscow is waging its hybrid war not only with tanks and missiles, fake news and propaganda, “but it’s also a food war that we can see all over the world.” The looming global food crisis will only get worse when the effects of the climate crisis become clear in the summer. “We are facing our responsibility to deal with this impending crisis and act quickly.”
EU: €500 million additional for weapons and equipment
At the G7 meeting, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that the European Union would provide another 500 million euros for the delivery of weapons and heavy equipment to the Ukrainian armed forces. This would increase EU funds available for military aid to Ukraine to €2 billion. A first €500 million package was approved at the end of February, and two more followed in the coming months. With the additional 500 million euros, a new impetus must now be given, said Borrell. Specifically, according to his information, funding for heavy weapons is now planned.
Baerbock thanks Japan for involvement in energy sanctions
According to information from the German delegations, Baerbock thanked his Japanese colleague Yoshimasa Hayashi on the sidelines of the G7 meeting for Japan’s participation in energy sanctions against Russia. Both agreed that it was important to intensify dialogue with other states, especially in the Pacific, Asia and Central Asia, in order to underline the common position of the international community against the Russian war of aggression. Japan will assume the presidency of the G7 next year.
Greenpeace protests in Weißenhäuser Strand
The environmental organization Greenpeace demonstrated on the Baltic Sea beach with a large banner that read “G7: Out of fossils, into peace” (German: “Out of fossil energies, towards peace”) for quick independence of the fossil energy G7 countries. “Income from oil, coal and gas is funding Russia’s war against Ukraine,” said Lisa Göldner, a climate expert at the environmental organization. 17 activists also formed a peace sign in the sand in lavender painter’s suits.