The city of Hiroshima, the first to be targeted by the atomic bomb in 1945, today hosts the G-7 summit, in an appointment in which world leaders will discuss expanding sanctions against Russia and seek mechanisms to defend themselves against "coercion." economic” of China.
The symbolism of the setting is the first message of the meeting. The Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, originally from Hiroshima and host of the meeting, has chosen his city for the ghosts of nuclear war and the monuments dedicated to peace that inhabit it, and that echo the conflict in Ukraine. However, meeting in the Pacific is also a nod to Beijing, with a show of unity in an area where the United States has focused its efforts.
In addition to the leaders of Germany, Canada, the US, France, Italy and the United Kingdom, Kishida has invited several leaders from the "Global South", including the heads of state of Brazil, India and Indonesia, and those of other partner countries such as South Korea and Australia. The Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelensky, will participate electronically.
The agenda will be dominated by the invasion of Ukraine, as announced by the US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, who assured that they will discuss "the state of the battlefield" and "the expansion and application of the sanctions”.
Given Vladimir Putin's repeated threats to turn the war in Ukraine into a nuclear conflict – which have been condemned by the G-7 leaders – the summit aims to highlight the risks of nuclear proliferation and prevent atomic escalation.
The Group of Seven seeks to increase pressure on Moscow, and one of its main concerns is to prevent Russia from evading the sanctions already applied against it through trade with third countries, especially China. In this sense, the possibility of creating a mechanism for monitoring exchanges of this type is being considered.
Washington is in favor of imposing an almost total ban on exports to Russia, while the European Union suggests banning the sale of dual-use goods to companies from third countries if it is believed that they will end up being sold to Moscow.
It remains to be seen if it is possible to agree on specific measures or just a dissuasive message towards countries and companies that allow Moscow to mitigate the effect of the sanctions, taking into account that within the G-7 there are divergent positions on the subject, starting with Japan, highly dependent on energy imports from Russia.
