War in the Middle East will not weaken G7 support for Ukraine

Flames and smoke from an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City. The war in the Middle East will not affect the G7 countries’ support for Ukraine, the Japanese foreign minister promised before the countries’ meeting. Photo: Fatima Shbair / AP / NTB

By NTB | 07.11.2023 07:39:46

Policy: The foreign ministers of the two countries will meet in Tokyo on Monday with EU representatives to discuss current issues, including the war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East. The G7 is made up of Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Great Britain, Germany and the United States.

– Our commitment to maintaining strict sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine has not wavered at all, even as the situation in the Middle East intensifies, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko said on Monday Kamikawa.

She added that the group would have a virtual meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba during the meeting in Tokyo.

The G7 reached a common position on the war in Ukraine, but struggled to agree on how it should handle the war in the Middle East, where thousands of civilians have been killed. There are fears that this could degenerate into regional war.

Since its outbreak, the G7 has only issued one joint statement, while several member states have spoken out on their own. Kamikawa says one of Tokyo’s goals is to express the need for a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip.