Japan, which is hosting the meeting of the leading industrialized countries, wants to discuss nuclear disarmament at the meeting.
The leading industrialized countries are meeting this time in Hiroshima, Japan, where the devastation of the Second World War is in the memories and visible.
At the beginning of the meeting, the G7 leaders visited the Hiroshima nuclear devastation memorial. The park and museum commemorate the sixth day of August in 1945, when an American B-29 plane dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. An estimated 140,000 people died. The city has become a symbol of anti-nuclear efforts.
The choice of meeting place conveys a strong message. Russia’s attack on Ukraine has raised fears about the use of nuclear weapons. We don’t want the events of 70 years ago to repeat themselves. Of the participants in the meeting, the United States, Britain, France and India have nuclear weapons.
Nuclear weapons have once again entered the conversation in many directions. In the spring, Russia announced that it had agreed with Belarus to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil. The United States and South Korea, on the other hand, announced an agreement on nuclear-powered submarines due to the threat from North Korea in March.
Prime Minister of Japan from Hiroshima Fumio Kishida has included discussions on nuclear disarmament on the agenda of the meeting.
– Hopefully the meeting place will promote positive discussions and take a small step towards the disarmament of nuclear weapons, says the 83-year-old Sueichi Kido in an interview with news agency AP. He is a hibakusha, a Japanese survivor of nuclear destruction.
Zelenskyi to the meeting on Sunday
President of Ukraine to Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to attend the meeting on Sunday. Today, he participates in meetings via video connection. If the visit takes place, it will be Zelensky’s first trip to Asia since the Russian invasion.
According to the Bloomberg news agency (you will switch to another service)Zelenskyi flies to Japan on a US military plane and stops in Saudi Arabia on the way.
More sanctions on Russia
The United States plans to impose about 300 new sanctions on Russian individuals, entities, ships and aircraft, according to official sources, a US official in Hiroshima said on condition of anonymity.
In addition, approximately 70 operators in and outside of Russia are prohibited from receiving US export products.
Britain, on the other hand, prohibits the import of Russian diamonds into the country with new sanctions, said the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak upon arrival in Japan. The matter was reported by, among others, the broadcasting company BBC (you will switch to another service).
According to the BBC, the value of the Russian diamond industry in 2021 was around four billion dollars.
The EU is also imposing sanctions on Russian diamonds in order to hinder Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, said the President of the European Council Charles Michel.
Britain’s new sanctions also prohibit the import of Russian copper, nickel and aluminum to Britain. 86 Russians are added to the banned list.
Brazil and India included in the meeting
The economic powers of Asia and South America have been invited to the Hiroshima meeting this year. Among others, the president of Brazil will be present Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. The president of Comoros, which holds the presidency of the African Union, is also present. In total, seven countries that are not part of the G7 group will participate in the Hiroshima meeting.
Another important topic at the G7 meeting is the search for a common line in dealing with China’s growing economic and military power.
The G7 group includes the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Japan. The EU leadership is also regularly involved in the summits.
On the first day of the meeting, the participants issued a statement according to which the G7 group condemns Russia’s war of aggression and acts unitedly and decisively to end the war. Ukraine is promised budget support in 2024 as well.
Reuters, AFP, STT