G7 foreign ministers on Thursday called on Belarusian authorities to stop supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin in his invasion of Ukraine and threatened Minsk with sanctions if they continue to allow Russian Armed Forces to use Belarusian territory in the framework of the war.
«Any further active participation in Russia’s illegal war of aggression would be contrary to the will and aspirations of the Belarusian people. If the Belarusian authorities involve Belarus more directly in Russia’s war, the G7 will impose overwhelming additional costs on the regime,» he has noted.
Also, the G7 members have pledged «to enhance and closely coordinate efforts to meet Ukraine’s urgent requirements for military and defense equipment, especially air defense.»
Similarly, the G7 finance ministers met Thursday for the last time before the end of the year and reaffirmed their commitment to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to provide economic assistance to Kiev in the context of «Russia’s war of aggression».
«We reaffirm that with our sanctions we do not target food. We explicitly allow the free flow of agricultural products and do our utmost to minimize the possible negative impact and spill-over effect on third countries,» the G7 communiqué reads.
They also noted that the G7, together with the international community, has demonstrated «unity, creativity and strength» in addressing «Ukraine’s urgent humanitarian, material and financial needs.»
«By 2022, we have mobilized $32.7 billion in budget support to assist Ukraine with the goal of closing its funding gap by this year. This full amount has been disbursed or is in the process of being disbursed,» he reminded.
Finally, they have pointed out that by 2023 they have committed $32 billion in support to Kiev, an amount that includes $18 billion from the EU along with a grant from member states to cover the costs.
This is complemented by the latest package from the Biden Administration that could be approved by the US Congress this week, as well as the «imminent» disbursement of $500 million in additional World Bank loans guaranteed by the UK.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
