“We reiterate that an immediate ceasefire is urgently needed” in Ukraine, announced on Wednesday, November 12, the foreign ministers of the United States, France, Canada, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan in their final communique after the two-day G7 meeting in Niagara (Canada). “International borders must not be changed by force”they added, repeating themselves “unwavering support” in Kyiv and state sovereignty.
Invited, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha pleaded “Ukraine wants the war to end as quickly as possible”before calling on the G7 to continue investing in missiles and drones, as well as Ukraine’s air defense. According to him, Russian President Vladimir Putin “always had the illusion that he could win”.
Earlier, Ottawa, host of the summit, announced new sanctions against Moscow at a time when, as winter approaches, Ukraine is the target of increased Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure. Last month, Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil companies – Rosneft and Lukoil – criticizing Vladimir Putin for his refusal to end the conflict.
In Sudan, the world’s largest humanitarian crisis
The Sudan crisis, which has worsened in recent weeks, was also brought to the attention of the second meeting this year of the G7 countries’ diplomatic heads who deplored it. “The devastating impact of this war on civilians, including famine, has led to the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. We unequivocally condemn sexual violence.”.
Following this statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for an end to arms transfers to paramilitaries: “Something must be done to stop the delivery of weapons and support to the RSF as they continue their advance”. The United Arab Emirates, an ally of the United States, is accused by certain NGOs of supplying weapons to the RSF, but they deny this.
Sudan has been divided since April 2023 due to a power struggle between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (FSR), both accused of abuses. The conflict has left tens of thousands of people dead, displaced nearly 12 million people and caused the world’s worst humanitarian crisis according to the UN.
There was no discussion of Venezuela or the Canadian-American conflict over import duties
According to the participants, two highly conflictual issues were avoided during the meeting: Venezuela and the Canadian-American dispute over import duties. Therefore, when leaving Canada, Rubio emphasized that his G7 allies had not discussed the Venezuela issue with him.
The day before, French Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said this “worry” by the American military operation in the Caribbean in which the United States carried out a series of attacks on ships accused – without providing evidence – of transporting drugs, leading to a total of 76 deaths.
Canada and the United States have also not raised the issue of their economic disputes. “We have a very good working relationship” with Mr. Rubio, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand stressed, explaining that she was not responsible for the dossier, and assuring that they were focused on “their collaboration on a wide range of issues, from Ukraine to the Middle East, including Haiti and the Arctic”.
The two countries had initiated trade discussions for weeks but, frustrated by Canada’s advertising regarding tariffs, Donald Trump announced in late October to end the discussions. Since then, Ottawa has stated several times that it is ready to continue discussions.
