US ramps up sanctions, G7 mark VE Day
A Russian bomb hit a school sheltering 90 people as Moscow’s forces kept up their efforts towards a full takeover of Mariupol
WASHINGTON/ZAPORIZHZHIA: The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries held virtual talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, the 77th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe, as the US ramped up sanctions against Russia for the invasion of its neighbour.
In a statement, the G7 countries - France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the US committed to “phasing out or banning” the import of Russian oil. They also recognised the economic implications of the war in Ukraine on energy, fertiliser provision, food security and supply chains — a point India has flagged consistently — and called on Russia to “end its blockade and other activities” that impede Ukrainian food production and exports.
The group announced a Global Alliance for Food Security to address the “causes and consequences of the global food crisis”, reiterated that sanctions don’t impede the delivery of humanitarian assistance or trade of agricultural products, and reaffirmed their commitment to “avoid food export restrictions” that impact the
most vulnerable.
For his part, Zelensky emphasised that Ukraine was relying on its international partners to provide assistance “in the domain of defence capabilities”, ensuring a swift and effective recovery of Ukraine’s economy, and securing its economic and energy security.
G7 leaders pledged to support Ukraine to “secure its free and democratic future”, pursue their ongoing military and defence assistance to its armed forces, help defending Ukraine’s networks against cyber incidents, and expand cooperation, including on information security.
Casting a look back at World War II, the leaders on occasion of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) stressed unity in their resolve that Russian President Vladimir Putin must not win. “We owe it to the memory of all those who fought for freedom in the Second World War, to continue fighting for it today, for the people of Ukraine, Europe and the global community,”
they said.
Meanwhile, the US unveiled sanctions against three Russian television stations, banned Americans from providing accounting and consulting services to Russians, and sanctioned executives from Gazprombank to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
As Moscow prepared to celebrate the 1945 surrender of Nazi Germany with a Victory Day military parade on Monday, a lineup of Western leaders made
surprise visits to Ukraine to rally support for the country. US first lady Jill Biden met with her Ukrainian counterpart Olena Zelenska, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised his country’s flag at its embassy in Kyiv.
The newly appointed acting US ambassador to Ukraine, Kristina Kvien, posted a picture of herself at the American Embassy, trumpeting plans for the US return to the Ukrainian capital weeks after Moscow’s forces abandoned their effort to storm Kyiv and began focusing on the Donbas region instead.
Zelensky has warned that attacks would only worsen in the lead-up to Victory Day, and some cities declared curfews or otherwise cautioned people about gathering in public. Putin is believed to want to proclaim some kind of triumph in Ukraine when he addresses the troops on Red Square.
Dozens of Ukrainians were feared dead Sunday after a Russian bomb flattened a school sheltering about 90 people in its basement, while Ukrainian fighters held out at the battered Mariupol steel plant.
The governor of Luhansk province, part of the eastern industrial heartland known as the Donbas, said emergency crews found two bodies and rescued 30 people at the school in the village of Bilohorivka after Saturday’s bombing.
Russian forces, meanwhile, worked toward a full takeover of Mariupol, which has been largely reduced to rubble since the start of the war. The sprawling seaside steel mill where an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian fighters made what appeared to be their last stand was the only part of the city not under Russian control.
Attack on Ukraine