G7 announces new sanctions to 'starve Russian war machine'

The leaders of the G7 nations announced new sanctions in a statement on Friday to "starve Russia of G7 technology, industrial equipment and services that support its war machine". The leaders are holding their annual summit in Hiroshima, Japan.

The measures include restrictions on the export of items "critical to Russia on the battlefield" and target entities that supply equipment to the front lines on behalf of Moscow, the statement said.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, argued at the summit for a further expansion of military support for Ukraine. "We need to give Ukraine the tools now to successfully defend itself and regain full sovereignty and territorial integrity," she said on Friday.

The key, she said, was to provide Ukraine with the necessary military and financial support for as long as it takes. Peace negotiations that put the aggressor and the victim on an equal footing must be rejected. 

Export bans imposed by the European Union as part of sanctions against Russia have so far banned a trade volume of around 50 billion euros a year, or 55 per cent of pre-war trade, von der Leyen said. EU import bans on goods from Russia amounted to 90 billion euros, or 60 per cent of pre-war imports.

Von der Leyen acknowledged that sanctions were increasingly being circumvented. "High tech exports to third countries, from micro-processors and sensors for Russian cruise missiles to chips in military communications equipment, make their way onwards to Russia and end up in weapons used against Ukraine on the battlefield. We must put a stop to this," she said.

^{© PHOTO STEFAN ROUSSEAU / POOL / AFP}