Tag: G7 meeting

Ukraine invasion: Truss to tell G7 leaders ‘We must not waver one iota’

  • Prime Minister Liz Truss will join a virtual gathering of G7 leaders and President Zelenskyy today (Tuesday 11 October).
  • Meeting comes in the wake of Putin’s illegal annexation of four Ukrainian territories and a brutal assault on Ukrainian civilians in Kyiv and elsewhere.
  • The Prime Minister will ask countries to maintain biting sanctions and call for a full meeting of NATO leaders in the coming days.

G7 leaders will meet today (Tuesday 11 October) to reiterate the unity of opposition to Putin’s continued brutality in Ukraine.

In the last 24 hours Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian cities like Kyiv, killing civilians and cutting off electricity and communications. This follows Putin’s orchestration of sham referendums in an attempt to annex four Ukrainian regions.

Today’s video call, which will also be attended by President Zelenskyy, is the first gathering of all G7 leaders since Ukraine’s counter-offensive started to take hold in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister will use the call to urge fellow leaders to stay the course. She will point out that Ukraine’s military advances have been made possible thanks to the international support they are receiving – not just in terms of military aid, but also humanitarian assistance and the impact of western sanctions against Russia.

The Prime Minister is also calling for an urgent meeting of NATO leaders, ensuring allies remain united and resolute in their opposition to Putin’s behaviour.

Addressing fellow G7 leaders, the Prime Minister is expected to say: “The overwhelming international support for Ukraine’s struggle stands in stark opposition to the isolation of Russia on the international stage.

‘Their bravery in the face of the most brutal acts of violence has earned the people of Ukraine global admiration.

‘Nobody wants peace more than Ukraine. And for our part, we must not waver one iota in our resolve to help them win it.’

Yesterday the Prime Minister spoke to President Zelenskyy to condemn the recent attacks on Kyiv and the annexation of Ukrainian territories, and to reiterate the UK’s support.

This year the UK has committed £2.3 billion in military support to Ukraine, which has enabled the provision of Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, hundreds of rockets, thousands of rounds of ammunition, crucial defence vehicles and five air defence systems including Starstreak.

As the Ukrainian Armed Forces face a difficult winter, the UK is also providing critical cold weather gear and other forms of non-lethal support to bolster their resilience.

Later this week, all UN members will vote on Russia’s breach of the UN Charter with its annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. 141 UN member states voted to condemn Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in March, and earlier this month the majority of UN Security Council members voted against the recent annexations.

In their call today, G7 leaders are also expected to discuss the global energy crisis precipitated by Putin’s actions. The group is currently working to finalise and implement an international cap on the price of Russian oil, which will further damage Putin’s revenue stream.

The Prime Minister will point to this action as evidence of what the G7 can do both to constrain Putin and act as an economic NATO, defending our countries’ interests.

The Prime Minister is working with fellow leaders to increase our energy independence and end the global reliance on malign states, such as Russia, in our critical resources.

Chancellor sets out further economic support for Ukraine at G7 meeting

  • Chancellor confirms that the UK stands ready to guarantee up to $50 million for further financing to Ukraine to continue electricity provision during latest G7 meeting in Germany.
  • Rishi Sunak also discussed how global partners can continue to work together to soften the war’s impact on the global economy
  • He will also urge G7 counterparts to maintain momentum behind and deliver the historic agreement on global tax reform – ensuring companies pay their fair share of tax in the countries in which they operate.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has confirmed that the UK stands ready to guarantee up to $50 million for further financing to Ukraine, to help ensure the continued provision of electricity to its citizens.

The Chancellor attended meetings with G7 partners yesterday and will continue to do so today, alongside the Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey.

They discussed efforts to support Ukraine and the ways in which the war is adding to pressures on the global economy, including impacts on the cost of living in the UK.

Yesterday Rishi Sunak announced the UK’s commitment to guarantee $50million, of further financing to Ukraine from the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, which is headquartered in London.

This comes on top of the $950m in loan guarantees that the UK has already committed to significantly scale up World Bank lending to the Government of Ukraine to help meet urgent fiscal needs.

This guarantee will be used by the EBRD to provide further financing to the Ukrainian electricity grid operator, Ukrenergo to support continued provision of electricity to the brave Ukrainian people, subject to approval by Parliament.

This funding forms part of the significant economic, humanitarian and military support the UK has committed to Ukraine, totalling well over $3 billion.

The Chancellor also discussed the shared challenges facing the global economy, including the rising cost of living globally, and the acute challenges faced by developing economies including heightened food insecurity.

He pushed his partners in the G7 to ensure that the sanctions announced so far are being urgently implemented and strongly enforced to exert maximum cost on Putin and his regime.

Ahead of the meetings, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak said: “I remain steadfast with my G7 partners in standing with Ukraine. I am pleased to confirm up to $50million in UK guarantees for EBRD critical support in Ukraine. This will help Ukraine continue to provide electricity to its citizens as they fight for their freedom.

“It’s clear that Putin’s barbaric and illegal invasion of Ukraine has not only had a devastating humanitarian impact on Ukraine; it is also causing significant disruption to the global economy, the impacts of which are being felt across the G7, including here at home in the UK.”

“I am determined to work with my G7 partners to confront these shared challenges.”

Today, the Chancellor will also call for progress on the implementation of the international tax agreement that was struck last year during the UK’s presidency of the G7.

This historic global tax reform will ensure companies pay their fair share of tax in the countries in which they operate. In Bonn, the Chancellor will encourage his partners to maintain momentum and collaborate to deliver on the agreement as swiftly as possible.

UK imposes sweeping new sanctions to starve Putin’s war machine

  • full asset freeze on largest Russian bank and end to all new UK outward investment into Russia announced
  • UK to end all imports of Russian coal and oil by end of 2022 and take action against oligarchs and key strategic industries
  • Foreign Secretary will urge G7 colleagues to maintain the momentum on further waves of sanctions at meeting today

Following further reports of abhorrent attacks on civilians in Ukraine this week, the Foreign Secretary has announced a significant ratcheting up of UK sanctions on Russia.

As a leading voice calling for international action, the UK’s fifth package of measures will cut off key sectors of the Russian economy and end our dependency on Russian energy. Yesterday’s measures have been delivered in lockstep with our global allies as the EU has also banned imports of Russian coal and the US has sanctioned SberBank.

Announcing the package yesterday, the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “Today, we are stepping up our campaign to bring Putin’s appalling war to an end with some of our toughest sanctions yet.

“Our latest wave of measures will bring an end to the UK’s imports of Russian energy and sanction yet more individuals and businesses, decimating Putin’s war machine.

“Together with our allies, we are showing the Russian elite that they cannot wash their hands of the atrocities committed on Putin’s orders. We will not rest until Ukraine prevails.”

Key sanctions announced today include:

  • asset freezes against Sberbank and Credit Bank of Moscow. Sberbank is Russia’s largest bank and this freeze is being taken in co-ordination with the US
  • an outright ban on all new outward investment to Russia. In 2020 UK investment in Russia was worth over £11 billion. This will be another major hit to the Russian economy and further limit their future capabilities
  • by the end of 2022, the UK will end all dependency on Russian coal and oil, and end imports of gas as soon as possible thereafter. From next week, the export of key oil refining equipment and catalysts will also be banned, degrading Russia’s ability to produce and export oil – targeting not only the industry’s finances but its capabilities as a whole
  • action against key Russian strategic industries and state owned enterprises. This includes a ban on imports of iron and steel products, a key source of revenue. Russia’s military ambitions are also being thwarted by new restrictions on its ability to acquire the UK’s world-renowned quantum and advanced material technologies
  • and targeting a further eight oligarchs active in these industries, which Putin uses to prop up his war economy

They include:

  • Viatcheslav (Moshe) Kantor, the largest shareholder of fertilizer company Acron with vital strategic significance for the Russian government
  • Andrey Guryev – known close associate of Vladimir Putin and founder of PhosAgro – a vital strategic company that produces fertilizers
  • Sergey Kogogin, director of Kamaz – manufacturer of trucks and buses, including for the Russian military
  • Sergey Sergeyevich Ivanov, President of the world’s largest diamond producer Alrosa, which the UK also sanctioned
  • Leonid Mikhelson, the founder, and CEO of leading Russian natural gas producer Novatek, with a net worth of £18billion
  • Andrey Akimov, the CEO of Russia’s third largest bank Gazprombank
  • Aleksander Dyukov, the CEO of Russia’s third largest and majority state-owned oil producer GazpromNeft
  • Boris Borisovich Rotenberg, son of the co-owner of Russia’s largest gas pipeline producer SGM. The Rotenberg family are known for their close connections to Putin and a number of them have already been sanctioned

At today’s meeting of G7 Foreign Ministers the Foreign Secretary will call for further collective action, including an accelerated timetable for all G7 countries to end their dependency on Russian energy.

She will also call for continued G7 unity in imposing further co-ordinated waves of sanctions against the Russian economy and elites around Putin, until Russia withdraws its troops and ends its brutal campaign of aggression against Ukraine once and for all.

View the full UK Sanctions List.

PM to call on G7 leaders to step up support for Afghan people

  • PM to call on countries to match UK commitments to protect those most in need in Afghanistan and bolster aid to the region
  • Leaders set to discuss joint approach to securing a more stable future for Afghanistan
  • Meeting follows doubling of UK humanitarian aid spending and the announcement of one of the most generous resettlement schemes in British history

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will call on G7 leaders to continue to stand by the Afghan people and step up support for refugees and humanitarian aid when they meet this afternoon (Tuesday 24th August).

Chairing the meeting, he is expected to urge international partners to match the UK’s commitments on aid and the resettlement of those most in need, in order to protect human rights and contribute to the stability of the region.

Leaders are also expected to reiterate their commitment to safeguarding the gains made in Afghanistan over the last 20 years – in particular on girls’ education and the rights of women and minorities. Discussions are set to cover ongoing collaboration on evacuation efforts at Kabul airport and longer-term work to secure a more stable future for Afghanistan and ensure any new government is inclusive and abides by its international obligations.

Ahead of the meeting, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Our first priority is to complete the evacuation of our citizens and those Afghans who have assisted our efforts over the last 20 years – but as we look ahead to the next phase, it’s vital we come together as an international community and agree a joint approach for the longer term.

“That’s why I’ve called an emergency meeting of the G7 – to coordinate our response to the immediate crisis, to reaffirm our commitment to the Afghan people, and to ask our international partners to match the UK’s commitments to support those in need.

“Together with our partners and allies, we will continue to use every humanitarian and diplomatic lever to safeguard human rights and protect the gains made over the last two decades. The Taliban will be judged by their deeds and not their words.”

The meeting will take place by video conference and the NATO and UN Secretaries-General have also been invited to join the discussion.

Earlier this week the Prime Minister set out his five-point plan for addressing the risk of humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The plan has five parts:

  1. immediately helping those to whom we have direct obligations
  2. protecting ourselves against any threat from terrorism
  3. supporting Afghan people in the region through humanitarian and development assistance
  4. creating safe and legal routes to resettle Afghans in need
  5. developing a clear plan for dealing with the new Afghan regime in a unified and concerted way

The meeting of G7 leaders comes after the Prime Minister chaired a meeting of COBR on Monday afternoon where ministers discussed the latest situation on the ground. As of the morning of Monday 23rd, the UK had secured the evacuation of almost 6,000 people out of Kabul since Operation PITTING began last week, which includes British Nationals and their dependants, embassy staff, and Afghan nationals under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) programme.

The UK has already doubled the amount of humanitarian aid to the region, committing up to £286 million with immediate effect, and last week we announced a new bespoke resettlement scheme. This programme will be one of the most generous in British history and is set to relocate up to 20,000 vulnerable Afghans.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to US President Joe Biden last night on the situation in Afghanistan, ahead of tomorrow’s G7 meeting.

They discussed the ongoing efforts by the UK and US to coordinate the rapid and safe evacuation of our nationals and those who previously worked with our governments from Kabul International Airport.

The leaders agreed to continue working together to ensure those who are eligible to leave are able to, including after the initial phase of the evacuation has ended.

The Prime Minister and President Biden noted the importance of concerted diplomatic engagement to secure the progress made in Afghanistan and prevent a humanitarian crisis.

They committed to driving international action, including through the G7 and UN Security Council, to stabilise the situation, support the Afghan people and work towards an inclusive and representative Afghan government.