It is a summit largely devoted to Ukraine, but also to other subjects, such as China and the climate. The seven G7 powers, meeting at a summit in Bavaria, Germany, want Russia to pay the maximum cost for its invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose country is presiding this year, said on Tuesday June 28. the G7, reaffirming that “Putin must not win this war”.
“The G7 remains united in its support for Ukraine,” Olaf Scholz told a press conference after the G7 leaders’ summit. “We will continue to maintain and increase the economic and political costs of this war for President (Vladimir) Putin and his regime,” he added.
The seven G7 powers also pledged on Tuesday after their meeting to “support” the “reconstruction of Ukraine through an international conference and reconstruction plan”, according to a draft of final declaration consulted by AFP. The G7, joined by five emerging countries, including India, also condemned Russia’s “illegal” invasion of Ukraine.
For his part, Emmanuel Macron considered that “Russia cannot and must not win” the war in Ukraine. “Russia cannot and must not win and therefore our support for Ukraine and our sanctions against Russia will continue as long as necessary and with the necessary intensity over the coming weeks and months,” he said. said at a press conference after the summit.
The creation of a “climate club”
In addition, the leaders of the G7 have agreed on the creation of a “climate club” intended to strengthen and broaden cooperation in the fight against global warming, according to a joint declaration published on Tuesday at the end of their summit in Germany. This climate club will be an “intergovernmental forum of great ambition” open to all countries, explain the seven leaders. “We invite our partners, including major emitters, G20 members and other developing and emerging economies, to intensify discussions and consultations with us,” the statement continued.
This body, led by Germany, aims in particular to bring together countries accepting common rules to avoid competitive disadvantages. These countries would jointly set ambitious targets and exempt each other from climate-related trade tariffs to which non-members would be subject. This would include agreeing carbon pricing standards or uniform regulations for green hydrogen.
G7 leaders also accused China on Tuesday of “practices that distort the global economy” and said they wanted to cooperate in sharing information on such actions taken by Beijing. “With regard to China’s role in the global economy, we continue to consult on collective approaches, also beyond the G7, to address the challenges posed by non-market policies and practices that distort the economy. world”, they declared in their final press release after a summit where they denounced “non-transparent and distorting interventions in the Chinese market”.
About $14 billion against food insecurity
The seven G7 powers have urged countries and companies with “large food stocks” to help ease the food shortage and pledge an additional $4.5 billion to tackle food insecurity.
“As short-term recourse, we are asking partners who have large stocks of food, as well as the private sector, to make food available without distorting markets, including by supporting the World Food Program procurement strategy” , asks in a declaration the G7. G7 leaders are also pledging an additional $4.5 billion to address food insecurity, bringing the effort this year to around $14 billion, according to the statement.
The G7 also reiterated its “urgent call on Russia to end, unconditionally, the blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports, the destruction of essential port and transport infrastructure, silos and grain terminals, to the illegal appropriation by Russia of agricultural products and equipment in Ukraine and to all other activities that hinder the production and export of production and Ukrainian exports of foodstuffs”. “These actions can only be seen as a geopolitically motivated attack on global food security,” denounces the G7.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, including the blockade of Black Sea ports, is driving up food prices and contributing to the global spike in inflation. Russia, for its part, denies having blocked the passage of cargo ships and accuses Western sanctions of contributing to the food crisis.
After the G7, several heads of state, including Emmanuel Macron, are expected in Madrid for a NATO summit, which takes place from June 28 to 30.