After two days of talks in the bucolic Japanese mountain resort town Karuizawa, the top diplomats from leading economies unveiled no new sanctions on Moscow over its invasion but pledged to crack down on those helping Russia evade the measures and acquire weapons.
The ministers also put Beijing on notice over its “militarisation activities” in the South China Sea and insisted their Taiwan policy was unchanged despite recent controversial comments from France’s president.
While talks were dominated by Ukraine and regional challenges, including a demand that North Korea “refrain” from new nuclear tests or ballistic missile launches, the ministers covered a broad sweep of global policy problems.
They met as fighting continues in Sudan between the army and paramilitaries, forcing the insertion of last-minute language demanding both sides “end hostilities immediately without pre-conditions”.
And there was renewed condemnation of the increasing restrictions placed on women and minorities by Taliban authorities in Afghanistan, described by the ministers as “systematic abuses”.
They demanded the “immediate reversal” of “unacceptable decisions” including a ban on women working with non-government organisations and the United Nations in the country.
But it was clear that two crises dominated discussions above all – the war in Ukraine, and China’s growing military and economic clout.
The diplomats from Japan, Britain, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, France and the European Union promised to continue “intensifying” sanctions on Russia and increase efforts to respond to those offering Moscow arms or other support, warning of “severe costs”.
They also slammed Russia’s “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric” and called a threat by Moscow to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus “unacceptable”.
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