Russia-Ukraine war: G7 reiterates its commitment to reduce Russia’s dependence on oil and gas

G7 leaders on Sunday reiterated their commitment to reduce Russia’s energy dependence in retaliation for the war in Ukraine, according to a joint statement distributed by the White House.

“We promise to gradually remove our reliance on Russia’s energy, including eliminating or banning Russia’s oil imports,” said the G7, which consists of the United States, Germany, Canada, France , Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.

The leaders of the seven powers have already adopted the move will be done “in a timely manner” and “ordered” at the right time for the world to find alternative supply routes.

The declaration of this goal is after the countries of the European Union (EU) did not agree this Sunday to ban imports of oil from Russia in response to the war in Ukraine, due to the difficulties caused for some partners by their reliance on Moscow’s crude.

Virtual

The United States, which is less dependent than Europe on Russia’s energy, had already announced in March a ban on imports of oil, gas and coal from Russia.

At the G7 meeting, which was almost held, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky attended.

Zelenski reaffirmed his intention to defeat Russian troops and explained that Ukraine depends on its international partners, especially the G7, to obtain adequate military resources and for Ukraine’s economy to recover after destruction of war, according to the White House.

In response, G7 leaders reiterated their commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as in their fight for a prosperous and democratic future.

After the meeting, the United States announced sanctions against 27 directors of the Russian bank Gazprombankwhich is the main channel used by Member States of the European Union (EU) to buy gas from Russia.

Washington has also taken action against Russian television networks Channel One, Russia and NTVagainst arms manufacturer Promtekhnologiya and against seven shipping companies.

The virtual summit was announced on Friday by the government of Germany, the country holding the rotating G7 presidency.

One of its goals is to strengthen G7 unity with Ukraine on the occasion of the so -called Victory Day, the anniversary of the Capitulation of the Third Reich and the defeat of Nazism.

The Group of 7 (G7) was formerly known as the G8, but Russia was expelled in 2014 following its annexation to Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.

Ukraine thanks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the “unity” shown by the G7 in defense of its “territorial integrity” and considering that the results achieved in the virtual meeting with its leaders were “more than a few general phrases”.

The Ukrainian leader expressed his gratitude to countries such as Croatia, which are committed to adopting these measures, and also to Germany, a country that has finally also supported Russia’s oil and coal ban, with fixed period of migration, and within two months its dependence on gas from that country was dramatically reduced, to date stands at 32%.

The call for this virtual conference, which Germany has formally called for the conduct of the rotating group presidency, is “a demonstration of full and unconditional unity,” said a spokesman for the Ukrainian leader, through of the Ukrinform portal.

Zelenski participated this Sunday in a telematic meeting of G7 leaders -the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada and Japan, in addition to Germany -, where the great industrial powers reiterated their commitment to reduce energy dependence. relating to Russia.

“We promise to gradually remove our reliance on Russia’s energy, including eliminating or banning Russia’s oil imports,” according to a White House statement.

Source: AFP and EFE

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