As the foreign ministers of the G7 got ready to undertake virtual discussions with Kyiv during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday, Japan stated that the escalating violence in the Middle East would not impact the group’s support for Ukraine in its struggle with Russia.
The affluent countries of the Group of Seven (G7), which consists of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the European Union, will gather in Tokyo on November 7-8 to address problems such as the Israel-Gaza dispute and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said at a news conference, “Even as the situation in the Middle East intensifies, our commitment to continue strict sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine has not wavered at all.” She stated that the G7 will arrange a virtual meeting with Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine during the Tokyo summit.
Following their meeting in September, foreign ministers from the G7 agreed that Kyiv needs sustained military and financial backing as Russia prepares to wage a longer-term war in the country. A senior U.S. official said this.
Since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the group has been leading sanctions on Russia; in May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made an unexpected appearance at the G7 leaders’ summit in Hiroshima. The group is considering suggestions to impose sanctions on Russian diamonds, the latest action meant to impose economic screws on Russia.
On Tuesday, Japan also declared that the sanctions imposed by the United States on the Russian Arctic LNG 2 project, in which Japan’s Mitsui & Co. (8031.T) and JOGMEC own a combined 10% interest, will inevitably hurt the country.
Israel – Gaza Reaction
The G7 seems to have found it easier to find its voice in Ukraine than to address the rapidly worsening Israel-Gaza war, which has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths and poses a threat of spreading into a regional battle.
The G7 has only released a single, brief, unified statement on the fighting since the war broke out. Other group members have removed separate remarks.
According to Kamikawa, the G7 intends to express in Tokyo the necessity of a ceasefire and granting humanitarian access to Gaza, which Israel has been bombarding in reprisal for an attack on southern Israel on October 7 by Hamas terrorists that claimed 1,400 lives.
The two-state solution is the only practical route to fair and enduring peace in the area, as Kamikawa, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, and their British counterparts reaffirmed at a 2+2 meeting of foreign and defense ministers held before the G7 negotiations.
Following the discussions, a joint statement denounced Iran’s alleged destabilizing actions in the area and urged the oil-rich country to take a more proactive approach to reducing tensions.
More than 10,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, have perished as a result of Israeli bombings, according to Gaza’s health experts.
G7 seat According to officials and observers, Japan has resisted the temptation to align itself with its closest friend, the United States, which is pro-Israel, and has instead adopted a cautious approach to the situation.
The G7’s differences have also been visible at the UN, where on October 26, France voted in favor of a resolution asking for a humanitarian truce in the fighting, the United States opposed it, and the other group members abstained.
Negotiations might be more complicated if the precise language on Israel’s right to self-defense and worries about civilian losses in Gaza are agreed upon, according to officials and analysts.
“Although we will refrain from making a legal assessment of the actions of the Israeli military, generally speaking, the basic norms of international humanitarian law must be observed,” Kamikawa stated. The G7 foreign ministers are drafting “some sort of statement” that would be released after the discussions in Tokyo, although Kamikawa declined to elaborate.
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