G7 to continue economic pressure on Russia, tackle ‘wheat war’

By Alexander Ratz and John Irish

WEISSENHAUS, Germany (Reuters) -Group of Seven overseas ministers vowed on Saturday to fortify Russia’s economic and political isolation, carry on giving weapons to Ukraine and deal with what Germany’s overseas minister explained as a “wheat war” getting waged by Moscow.

Right after conference in the Baltic Sea vacation resort of Weissenhaus, senior diplomats from Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the United States and the European Union also pledged to keep on their military services and defence support for “as extensive as essential”.

They would also deal with what they identified as Russian misinformation aimed at blaming the West for foodstuff provide troubles all-around the entire world because of to economic sanctions on Moscow and urged China not to aid Moscow or justify Russia’s war, according to a joint statement.

“Have we performed ample to mitigate the implications of this war? It is not our war. It’s a war by the president of Russia, but we have international accountability,” Germany’s International Minister Annalena Baerbock informed reporters.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a near ally of Vladimir Putin, dismissed the meeting, particularly the group’s insistence that the integrity of Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders be recognised.

“Let us set it mildly: our state does not treatment at all about the G7 not recognising the new borders. What is critical is the real will of the individuals living there,” he stated in an on-line write-up. Russian forces command significant components of japanese Ukraine.

Important to placing extra pressure on Russia is to ban or section out obtaining Russian oil with EU member states predicted following week to attain an arrangement on the issue even if it continues to be at this phase opposed by Hungary.

The ministers reported they would add even further sanctions on Russian elites, together with financial actors, central government establishments and the armed service, which permit Putin “to guide his war of alternative.”

Tale continues

The assembly, which the overseas ministers of Ukraine and Moldova attended, also spotlighted food items safety fears and fears that the war could spill about into its scaled-down neighbour Moldova.

“Persons will be dying in Africa and the Middle East and we are faced with an urgent concern: how can folks be fed all over the globe? Men and women are asking on their own what will transpire if we don’t have the grain we need to have that we utilized to get from Russia and Ukraine,” Baerbock said.

She additional that the G7 would work on getting logistical methods to get critical commodities out of Ukraine storage prior to the subsequent harvests.

Attention now turns to Berlin as ministers meet up with later on on Saturday with Sweden and Finland gearing up to apply for membership of the transatlantic alliance, drawing threats of retaliation from Moscow and objections from NATO member Turkey.

“It is crucial that we have a consensus,” Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told reporters.

Putin calls the invasion a “specific armed forces procedure” to disarm Ukraine and rid it of anti-Russian nationalism fomented by the West. Ukraine and its allies say Russia released an unprovoked war.

“Much more of the very same,” EU International Plan chief Josep Borrell advised reporters. “The a person point that is lacking is pushing for a diplomatic engagement to get a ceasefire. It is missing because Vladimir Putin has been declaring to everyone that he would not want to prevent the war.”

(Additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa Crafting by John Irish Enhancing by Mike Harrison and Daniel Wallis)