The Russian invasion of Ukraine , the sanctions against the aggressor country, Russia and its allies, as well as issues related to economic and humanitarian aid to Kiev, will be the central topics on the agenda of the summit of G7 leaders, to be held on Thursday in Japan. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said so on Wednesday, speaking to reporters.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden will arrive in Hiroshima, which was chosen by the host as the location for the summit. After bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the US President will take part in a meeting with leaders of major Western economies. And the main topic of discussion will be, according to Sullivan, “obviously, the war in Ukraine.”
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine is endemic and will become a major topic of conversation. There will be discussions about the state of affairs on the battlefield. There will be discussions about the status of sanctions and the measures that the G7 will collectively take on enforcement, in particular securely closing…sanctions loopholes to increase their impact in the months to come,” Sullivan said, adding that Washington would introduce a new sanctions package “linked to decisions taken at the G7 summit, with a focus on enforcement issues”.
The G7 leaders will also discuss the reconstruction of Ukraine after the end of the war, economic and humanitarian support for Ukraine, and “the creation of appropriate conditions for progress on the battlefield” to “move forward in possible negotiations”. Sullivan stressed that negotiations would only begin “if and when Ukraine is ready to do so.”
The White House national security adviser doubted that the summit would decide on a complete ban on the export of any goods to Russia. He said the leaders would most likely discuss not new sanctions, but respecting the restrictions already imposed and tackling their evasion. Moreover, according to him, they will also talk about Russian assets. Sullivan did not go into specifics.
Asked by a reporter about the White House’s assessment of whether the Ukrainian Spring Counteroffensive had begun, Sullivan stressed that these were “more dynamic, more multilayered, more multifaceted” military operations.
“Has the counter-offensive begun? Everyone has their opinion on this, and I’m not going to give mine. Let the Ukrainians characterize and describe what they do,” Sullivan said. “I will say that in some parts of Ukraine there is intense hostilities, as we have seen recently in the battles around Bakhmut.”
Read the Ukraine War News Latest Today on The Eastern Herald.
