Upon arriving in Japan, Chancellor Scholz was confident: the G7 could successfully prevent Russia from circumventing sanctions. The Hiroshima summit also deals with relations with China.
The heads of state and government of seven economically strong democracies meet in Hiroshima. For Olaf Scholz, the summit site is a symbol. According to the federal chancellor, the city, which was destroyed by an atomic bomb in the Second World War, is a memorial that one has responsibility for peace and security in the world – because it is threatened by the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
“And that will also play a central role here, making it clear that the use of nuclear weapons in war is not allowed and that it would be a catastrophe for all of humanity,” Scholz said.
Zelenskyy connected via video
The war in Ukraine and its aftermath will also shape this G7 summit. Participating countries discuss how to organize further financial support, and military aid is also discussed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be connected via video. He cannot wait for concrete commitments for the delivery of fighter jets to Hiroshima.
Instead, the West and Japan are discussing how they can prevent punitive measures against Russia from being circumvented – for example, by having Russian oil reach the EU via third countries or EU products reaching Russia via from other countries.
New sanctions possible
“The main thing is how we can avoid circumventing sanctions,” Scholz said. “But I think this can be resolved very well and also very pragmatically. That’s always what matters.”
The US, for its part, is preparing new sanctions against Moscow. According to an EU diplomat, the G7 wants to restrict the export of Russian rough diamonds. Russia is considered the world’s largest producer of rough diamonds, and trade is largely handled by state-owned Alrosa. There is no embargo on gemstones in the EU because trading is an important industry for Belgium.
Global economic development is also an issue
According to the chancellor, the summit participants want to discuss global economic development issues. Scholz did not address China directly, but used the “reduce risk, don’t decouple” formula coined by EU Commission head Ursula von der Leyen with a view to Beijing. So: Don’t dissociate, but reduce the dangers of excessive dependencies.
“At the same time, we want to organize global trade relations in such a way that the risks do not become great due to dependence on one or a few countries,” Scholz said. “And that’s why economic security plays a very important role under the keyword de-risking – with regard to supply chains, investment relationships and technological security.”
Several demonstrations announced
The heads of state and government of several Asian countries are present as guests – for example, India and Indonesia. Summit deliberations will take place at a luxury hotel on an island in Hiroshima.
Security precautions are huge: 24,000 police from all over Japan are on duty, hundreds of them in white rain uniforms guard the streets, much of the city center is closed to traffic, many schools are closed. Several demonstrations are recorded during the summit – for more climate protection and against war.