The G7 are considering a near-total ban on exports to Russia, Kyodo news agency reported yesterday, citing Japanese government sources.
Bloomberg a day earlier also reported that the US and Ukraine’s allies were considering “an outright ban on most exports to Russia.”
That report said officials from G7 nations were discussing the idea before a summit meeting in Japan next month.
Photo: AFP
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the government was aware of it, but refrained from commenting on exchanges among G7 countries and like-minded nations about possible further sanctions against Russia.
“What is important for ending Russian aggression as soon as possible is that G7 remains united for severe sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine,” he told a news briefing.
Separately, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that all members of the alliance agreed that Ukraine would eventually become a member, but the main focus is to ensure the country prevails against the Russian invasion.
Stoltenberg made the remark at a meeting of Ukraine’s allies at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
International backing for Ukraine holds “strong and true,” US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in his opening remarks at the meeting.
On the eve of the talks gathering representatives from 50 countries, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Western allies to send more fighter jets and long-range missiles to help repel Russian troops.
“Our support for the forces of freedom in Ukraine holds strong and true,” Austin said, as he began the discussions, a year after the format of talks between defense leaders began to coordinate aid for Ukraine.
“At today’s contact group meeting, we’ll focus on three key issues — air defense, ammunition and enablers,” Austin said.
Stoltenberg acknowledged the need to discuss “new platforms” of support with the battle now in its second year.
However, he also underlined the need to ensure that already supplied weapons continued to work.
“This is now a battle of attrition, and a battle of attrition becomes a war of logistics,” Stoltenberg said. “Maybe it’s also a bit more boring, but the logistics is extremely important.”
Additional reporting by AFP
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS