On Friday 4 November, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries announced the establishment of a coordination mechanism to help Ukraine repair, restore and defend its critical energy and water infrastructure.
“We are committed to helping Ukraine meet its winter preparedness needs”, the ministers also stressed in their statement. They reaffirmed their “unwavering” commitment to continue to provide Ukraine with the financial, humanitarian, defence, political, technical and legal support it needs. “We will stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes”, the ministers warned.
The heads of diplomacy looked forward to the 13 December international conference in Paris, organised by France and Ukraine, aimed at supporting Ukraine’s civil resilience and expressed their determination to contribute to Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction and modernisation.
Condemnation of Russia’s actions
The ministers condemned Russia’s recent escalation, including its attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, in particular energy and water facilities, across Ukraine, “using missiles and Iranian drones and trainers”. “Through these attacks, Russia is trying to terrorise the civilian population”, the G7 denounced.
The G7 members recalled that indiscriminate attacks against the civilian population and infrastructure constitute war crimes and expressed their determination to ensure full accountability for such crimes and crimes against humanity.
The G7 also said that the “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric” was “unacceptable”, warning that “any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences”.
It announced that it would continue to counter Russian disinformation and would strengthen the capacity of the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism for a coordinated response. The ministers said that “Russia’s calls for negotiations are not credible when it continues to escalate the war and issue new threats and disinformation”.
Threat of additional sanctions
The diplomatic chiefs warned that they would continue to impose economic costs on Russia and other countries, individuals or entities that provide military support to Moscow’s war of aggression.
Earlier in the day, at a meeting in Brussels with journalists, including EUROPE, Ambassador James O'Brien, the US State Department’s sanctions coordinator, said that additional measures were being considered, particularly in the area of technology. He explained that the sanctions already adopted were “degrading Russia’s effectiveness, including on the battlefield”. “We see them being able to use fewer sophisticated weapons, fewer integrated weapons campaigns, and that shows up in the tactics that they adopt”, the ambassador analysed. In his view, this is clearly due to Russia’s inability to produce and replace key components of sophisticated weapons, which is due to sanctions and export controls. Moreover, Mr O'Brien said it was difficult for Russia to replace lost resources.
The ambassador explained that the Russian economy was contracting rapidly and that Russia would be the worst performing economy in the G20 this year, with GDP contracting: “between 5.5 and 7% less than was anticipated at the start of the year”.
He added that the West was continuing to work on sanctions evasion. “We will continue to designate entities in Russia, both for the violations of international norms and for sanctions evasion, as we see Russia attempt new techniques to evade sanctions”, he warned, adding that he would continue to work closely with countries that Russia targets for sanctions evasion.
The G7 also reiterated its call for the Belarusian authorities to stop enabling Russia’s war of aggression. If the Belarusian authorities involve Belarus more directly in Russia’s war, the G7 will impose crushing additional costs on the regime, the diplomatic chiefs warned.
In addition, the ministers warned that they would finalise the implementation of the price cap on Russian oil transported by sea in the “coming weeks”. The aim is to reach an agreement before 5 December and the entry into force of the EU embargo on Russian oil. According to Mr O'Brien, “the price cap has been discussed long enough that market participants understand that it is coming and they are providing views on the best way to implement it”. He added that technical discussions were underway on pricing and governance issues.
The G7 also urged Russia to heed the UN Secretary-General’s call for the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The initiative, which allows the export of agricultural products via the Black Sea, was initially for 120 days and is due to expire on 19 November.
See the G7 statement: https://aeur.eu/f/3wx (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)