G-7 leaders vow to support Ukraine for long as Russia invasion continues

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G-7 leaders vow to support Ukraine for long as Russia invasion continues

ELMAU, Germany AP - Leaders of the world's wealthiest democracies stanced Tuesday to support Ukraine for as long as necessary as Russia's invasion continues, and said they would explore far-reaching steps to cap Kremlin income from oil sales that are financing the war.

The final statement from the Group of Seven summit in Germany left out key details on how the fossil fuel price caps would work in practice, leading to more discussion in the weeks ahead about measures to ban import of Russian oil above a certain level. That would hit a key Russian source of income and relieve the energy price spikes that have afflicted the global economy as a result of the war.

The leaders agreed on a ban on Russian gold imports and to increase aid to countries that are suffering from food shortages due to the blockade of Ukrainian grain shipments through the Black Sea.

Before the summit s close, leaders condemned what they called the abominable Russian attack on a shopping mall in the city of Kremechuk, calling it a war crime and vowing that President Vladimir Putin and others involved will be held to account. After a video link with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the leaders of the U.K., France, Italy, and Japan pledged to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

The summit host, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said he once again set out the situation as Ukraine sees it. Zelenskyy's address came hours before Ukrainian officials reported a deadly Russian missile strike on a crowded shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk, amid a grinding Russian advance in Ukraine s east.

During the summit, officials said that the leaders of the major economies are preparing to unveil plans to increase tariffs on Russian goods, increase tariffs on Russian goods and impose other new sanctions. There is a possibility that an agreement on some of the complexities of the oil price cap, such as whether it would apply only to Russia or to other oil producers, could be left for further discussions beyond the summit.

The G-7 leaders will continue straight to Madrid for a summit of NATO leaders, where fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine will dominate the agenda. All G-7 members, other than Japan, are NATO members, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been invited to Madrid.

Zelenskyy believes that the West is tired of the cost of a war that is contributing to soaring energy costs and price hikes on essential goods around the globe. The G-7 has tried to assuade those concerns.

Scholz wants to show that the G-7 can move ahead on pre-war priorities despite the fact that the group's annual gathering has been dominated by Ukraine and by the war's knock-on effects, such as the challenge to food supplies in parts of the world due to the interruption of Ukrainian grain exports.

The summit host wants to get an agreement on the creation of a climate club for countries that want to speed ahead when it comes to tackling global warming.

A joint statement issued by Germany emphasized the need to accelerate a clean and just energy transition that would see an end to the burning of fossil fuels without a major rise in unemployment after a meeting Monday with leaders of five developing nations.

The leaders endorsed the global climate club idea in a cautiously phrased statement.