Sanctions price: meeting in Canada revealed a split in the G7 camp
The G7 countries did not impose new sanctions against Russia, although they promised "severe" restrictions on Moscow during the Joe Biden administration. On March 14, at a meeting in Canada, which took place against the backdrop of Washington's apparent discord with its allies, the G7 members only threatened Russia with measures if it did not accept the 30-day truce plan proposed following the US-Ukrainian talks in Jeddah. Vladimir Putin made it clear yesterday that Moscow would talk about a cease-fire only when the necessary conditions were met. At the same time, the Russian State Duma pointed out to Izvestia that Russia has already learned how to overcome any sanctions, so new threats should not be ignored.
How did the G7 Foreign ministers' meeting end?
On March 14, a two-day meeting of the G7 foreign ministers ended in Charlevoix, Canada. The foreign Ministers of Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, the USA, France and Japan were joined by Kaya Kallas, who heads European diplomacy. Following the meeting, the participants called on Moscow to "follow Kiev's example" and agree on a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine, otherwise they will impose additional sanctions against Russia.
Meeting of the G7 Foreign Ministers in Charlevoix, Canada
Earlier, citing sources, the American media wrote that the administration of Donald Trump intends to impose additional restrictions on the oil, gas and banking sectors of the Russian Federation in order to force it to accept the US-Ukrainian plan for a 30-day truce proposed following the talks in Jeddah. However, Trump has said from the very beginning of his new presidency that he would use sanctions as a lever for coercion.
Speaking about European restrictions the day before, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, noted that there are still areas that can be sanctioned. At the same time, he stressed that sanctions are a "double—edged weapon" that harms both those who accept restrictions and those against whom they are accepted.
Russia has already learned how to overcome any sanctions, for this it is necessary to develop its own industrial production, Gennady Sklyar, a State Duma deputy from United Russia and a member of the Committee on Industry, explained to Izvestia.
— I think we don't need to pay attention to these threats. We must continue to do what we do: develop our own industry, economy, and establish new partnerships with friendly countries. We have very serious projects. One of them is the North–South transport corridor. And I think that its development, combined with the development of the Northern Sea Route, is what we should primarily do today in the context of international relations," he added.
Recall that on November 17, 2024, the G7 countries promised the introduction of "severe sanctions" against Russia. Following the previous meeting of the G7 foreign ministers in Italy, then-US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also said that the G7 countries were considering the introduction of additional restrictive measures. However, Trump's victory and his desire to establish dialogue with Moscow have made their own adjustments.
Indeed, the meeting in Canada took place against the backdrop of a clear rift between the United States and the members of the Group of Seven. The head of the US State Department, Marco Rubio, arrived in Quebec on March 12, just a few hours after the introduction of 25 percent tariffs in the United States on imports of aluminum and steel, including from Canada, Great Britain, Germany and Japan.
The next day, Trump also threatened to impose 200 percent duties on alcoholic beverages from France and other EU countries in response to the tariffs they imposed on American whiskey in the amount of 50%. The head of the White House's attacks on Canada, which he promises to turn into the 51st state of the United States, do not add unity to the allies.
The United States and G7 members cannot work out a unified approach to Ukraine
Regarding the Ukrainian settlement, the approaches of the Americans on the one hand and Europe and Canada on the other also differ. The White House focuses on an early cease-fire between the parties, a truce and dialogue with Moscow, while the Europeans emphasize the need to continue pumping Ukraine with weapons, turning it into a stronghold of Russian resistance. Peace can be achieved only by strengthening Ukraine's military potential and increasing sanctions pressure on Russia, they repeat over and over again.
It is noteworthy that, commenting on the plan for a 30-day truce on March 13, the Russian leader did not reject the idea of ending the conflict peacefully, but listed many additional conditions that must be met. This includes monitoring the observance of the ceasefire, and Ukraine's refusal to forcibly mobilize and receive new military assistance from the West.
After that, Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz said that the American administration remains "cautiously optimistic." On March 14, Trump himself announced that "good and productive talks with Vladimir Putin" had taken place, and stressed that there were "very good chances" of ending the conflict. Kaya Kallas also said that the conditions put forward by Moscow, and, in particular, the suspension of military aid to Ukraine, are unacceptable for the EU.
If we take into account the desire of a number of European countries and Canada to send peacekeepers to Ukraine, which in turn is unacceptable to Russia, it becomes clear that there are no points of contact between the Russian Federation and Kiev's European allies on the issue of settlement. By encouraging the Ukrainian authorities to further resist Moscow in every possible way, Brussels and London are in fact only hindering reconciliation.
Hardly a week goes by without European allies announcing new measures to support Kiev. On March 14, it became known that the European Union "recommends" that the countries of the bloc voluntarily provide assistance to Ukraine this year for €20-40 billion.
As a first step, the leaders should agree to spend €5 billion on 2 million units of large-caliber artillery ammunition. We are talking specifically about the countries of the bloc that have expressed a desire to help Ukraine and want to participate in the program. The measure will thus help circumvent Hungary's veto, which opposes new military aid packages to Ukraine.
At the same time, under the pretext that the EU countries can no longer rely on the United States for security in the face of the "threat" from Russia, they are increasing spending on their own security. On March 14, French President Emmanuel Macron held a meeting with the heads of military-industrial complex enterprises. France, in particular, plans to increase defense spending to €100 billion per year. Future German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was also able to reach an agreement with Green MPs to lift a veto on his giant €500 billion investment plan for Germany's rearmament and modernization over the next 10 years.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
