Today Meets Virtually With Foreign Minister Of Kuleba, G7 Support For Ukraine Is Not Reduced Due To Gaza Crisis

JAKARTA - The support of countries that are members of Group 7 (G7) for Ukraine in the fight against Russia will not be affected by the increasingly intensive Middle East conflict, Japan's top diplomats said, as the group's foreign ministers prepare to hold virtual talks with Kyiv during a meeting in Tokyo.

The G7 consisting of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States and the European Union met in Tokyo on November 7-8, to discuss issues including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Gaza crisis.

"Our commitment to continue strict sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine does not waver at all, even as the situation in the Middle East is increasing," Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said at a news conference.

At a meeting with Foreign Minister Kamikawa on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the group's eternal support for Ukraine as one of the main agendas of talks, but also said it was an important moment to unite in the issue of the Israel-Hamas war.

The G7 itself will hold an online meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Wednesday.

The G7 countries are aware that Russia is preparing for a long-term war in Ukraine. This requires ongoing military and economic support for Kyiv, a senior US official said after the block's foreign ministers met in September.

The G7 has been at the forefront of imposing sanctions on Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky surprisingly appearing at the G7 leader's summit in Hiroshima in May.

In the latest move aimed at reversing Russia's economic state, the group is considering a proposal to impose sanctions on Russian diamonds.

Taking an agreement on the Russian-Ukraine war is easier for the G7, than the Israel-Hamas crisis in Gaza which has killed more than 10,000 people, with the threat of widespread regional conflict.

Since the war broke out, the G7 has only issued a joint statement regarding the conflict, which amounts to several sentences. Members of other groups have issued separate statements.

In Tokyo, the G7 plans to convey the need for pauses in combat and grant humanitarian access to Gaza, which Israel has bombarded in retaliation for Hamas militant attacks in southern Israel on October 7, Kamikawa said.

As Chair of the G7, Japan has taken a cautious approach to the crisis, rejecting pressure to take pro-Israeli stance from its closest ally, the United States, officials and analysts said.

However, at a meeting with Foreign Minister Blinken, Foreign Minister Kamikawa said there was a "strong unit" between countries on this issue.

It is known that the G7 split was also clearly visible at the United Nations, where France voted in favor of a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the conflict on October 26, while America was against it and members of other groups abstained.