G7 Meeting Overshadowed By Ukraine War
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
HIROSHIMA (Worthy News) – The Group of Seven (G7) of the world’s leading economies gathered Friday in Japan’s city of Hiroshima, nearly wiped off the map by the world’s first atomic bomb in World War Two.
Japan’s choice of Hiroshima as the host city for the G7 summit highlights the peace-building theme of the summit, which has been overshadowed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a city where hundreds of thousands were killed and maimed by the bomb of bombs dropped by the United States, the G7 wants to pressure Moscow to end the fighting.
Hiroshima is also the hometown of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. His office has said, “The G7 envisions a world free of nuclear weapons.”
The summit comes as Western leaders warn Russia against using nuclear weapons in war, and North Korea has ramped up its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons testing.
Delegates prepared for the meeting as they arrived near a riverside dome that was the only structure left standing in Hiroshima after the bomb.
Host Japan was expected to push for progress on nuclear disarmament, a complicated issue amid the standoff between nuclear powers Russia and the United States over Ukraine.
INCREASING SANCTIONS
The U.S. revealed that the G7 would increase sanctions on Russia after Britain had already announced it would ban the import of Russian diamonds.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky was due to give a video address this weekend in which he was scheduled to ask for even more military aid ahead of an expected counter-offensive.
However, there was hopeful news after Russia agreed to extend a deal allowing Ukraine to export crops from key ports via the Black Sea for at least another two months.
Critics called it a relatively short time frame that leaves open the question of what happens next as millions around the world depend on Ukraine, which is seen as a breadbasket of the world.
The G7 democracies will also work to ensure a “free and open Indo-Pacific” amid growing tensions with China.
Other focuses will be climate and energy, as well as food security and health, officials said.
The G7 comprises the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.
The European Union also attends the talks, and other nations have been invited this year, including India, Brazil, Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, and Vietnam.
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