G-7 leaders signal united front on Russia sanctions

[webfact]

G-7 leaders signal united front on Russia sanctions
By DAVID McHUGH and DAVID RISING

ELMAU, Germany (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday she expects a meeting of the Group of Seven industrialized democracies to produce a "united signal" that sanctions against Russia can only be softened if a February peace accord for Ukraine is fully implemented.

Even before the issue was brought to the table, most of the leaders had already expressed their support for the idea.

This year's meeting of the leading industrialized democracies was the second in a row without Russia, which was ejected from what was the G-8 last year over its actions in Ukraine. Even with President Vladimir Putin absent, Russia was prominent in the leaders' minds as they gathered in the Bavarian Alps.

Merkel and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed during a pre-summit bilateral meeting that the duration of sanctions imposed upon Moscow should be "clearly linked to Russia's full implementation of the Minsk" peace accord agreed in February, the White House said in a statement. Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, another summit participant, were central to drawing up that accord.

Later, Merkel stressed anew in an interview with Germany's public ZDF television that sanctions are not an end in themselves and they "can be dispensed with when the conditions under which they were introduced are no longer there and the problems are resolved."

She said that "we have a chance if everyone makes an effort — that is to some extent in Russia's hands and of course in Ukraine's."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Kiev before heading to the summit in Germany and pledged to make sure that "solidarity with Ukraine" was also on the agenda for the next G-7, which is being held in Japan, his spokesman Yasuhisa Kawamura told a small group of reporters.

This year, he said, Japan's main goal is that all sides abide by the Minsk agreement.

"That is our goal and for that ... all G-7 leaders should show a common approach," Kawamura said.

Heading into the talks, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he would push for Europe to stand firm with sanctions against Russia even though some countries — especially cash-strapped Greece — were suffering economically because of declining investment and tourists from Russia.

"It has an impact on all countries in terms of putting sanctions on another country," Cameron said. "Britain hasn't let our pre-eminence in financial services get in the way of taking a robust response to Russian-backed aggression and I don't think other countries should either."

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who also visited Kiev before heading to Bavaria, has been "strongly advocating" for the G-7 leaders and other allies to maintain the pressure and sanctions on Russia, his spokesman Stephen Lecce said.

He added that Harper "stands ready to impose further measures against the Putin regime if Moscow refuses to halt its aggressive behavior."

European Union President Donald Tusk told reporters that since the Ukraine peace deal agreed in Minsk has not been fully implemented, the only question for the 28-nation EU is whether to make the sanctions against Russia even tougher.

"If anyone wants to start a debate about changing the sanctions regime, the discussion could only be about strengthening them," said Tusk, a former Polish prime minister. The EU participates in the summits of the G-7 — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S.

After Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine last year, the other world powers kicked the country out of the G-8 in an effort to isolate Putin and to signal the West's united opposition to his actions.

The rift has deepened amid subsequent fighting in eastern Ukraine and several rounds of sanctions against Russia.

The U.S. and the European Union have imposed financial restrictions on Russian companies and individuals to pressure Russia into stopping its support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. They and NATO say Russian troops and military equipment have been used on Ukrainian territory — something Russia denies.

Tusk said Russia's possible return to the G-8 would depend on a turn-around in Moscow's foreign policy.

"This is a community of values. And this is why Russia is not among us here today and will not be invited as long as it behaves aggressively toward Ukraine and other countries," he said.

Protesters, meanwhile, blocked roads as the G-7 leaders arrived in the Bavarian Alps to begin their two-day summit. Journalists were flown by helicopter to the venue to avoid delays on the roads due to the protesters.

Several hundred demonstrators hiked early Sunday from the resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen to get near the security perimeter around the Schloss Elmau hotel, the secluded summit venue 8 kilometers (5 miles) away.

Some 22,000 police from around Germany were brought in to keep the protesters away from the hotel.

At the security fence, about 200 protesters shouted chants like "Freedom and peace, no more G-7!" and waved signs with slogans like "Politics for people, not markets." On the other side, about 100 police officers with dogs were patrolling the fence to keep the demonstrators out.

Two protesters broke away from the main group at the security fence in an attempt to sneak through the woods and breach the barrier, but they were quickly chased down and turned back by about a dozen police.

The annual summit has drawn repeated protests by those who believe the leaders' decisions favor banks and business interests over those of ordinary people. A planned trans-Atlantic free trade agreement is a major concern.
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Rising reported from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Frank Jordans in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Rob Gillies in Toronto and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this story.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-06-08

[Ghostnigel]

Putin said, We want the World Cup in Russia, or we blow up FIFA HQ

Blatter, No Way.

Putin, No? How about $20M,

Blatter, Ok, Work starts Monday

[brain150]

What "values" are these G7 <deleted> talking about ?

Torture ? Wars all over the world ? Spying on their citicens ? State terrorism ?

.... all done by 6 of the G7 [only Japan is not involved]

Drone murders by Obama ?

Illegal wars in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Libya ???

The overthrow of Governments in: Chile, Iran, Irak, Afghanistan, Libya ... the list goes on and on

Seems like the G7 have really high values ... NOT !

[ABCer]

Without taking a "moral" stand on the G-7 leaders signal united front on Russia sanctions

I would like to express regrets:

- there is no and never was a united front.

- the sanctions are hurting both sides.

- Government of Russia is not affected.

- People of Russia are affected in a bad way.

- there is no way people of Russia can influence their Government.

- sanctions as they are presently are a case of ineffective cruelty.

- sanctions are a failure.

- Obama is hopelessly used to the word 'failure' in just about everything he does.

[pendingo]

These G7 imbeciles (so puffed up with their own self importance!!) are hell bent on poking the Russian bear until they get a response which when it comes will be in no one's interest particularly for the poor innocents caught in the middle.

None of them appear to have learnt anything from history or about the political geography of the Ukraine and Crimea.

Charge of the Light Brigade all over again.

[pumpuy]

G7 ? A bunch of professional liars and hypocrits ! I am so tired of their promises that they give first and later they find excuses for not keeping it ... They should all be replaced by computer programs , at least there would be no more corruption ... Seen an interview with their chef of cuisine in TV , he said , " one wanted to eat truffles , but there have not been any , so they sent an helicopter to Italy to buy some ... about 28000 euros in expenses !

For me , the world would be a better place without them ...!

[Basil B]

These G7 imbeciles (so puffed up with their own self importance!!) are hell bent on poking the Russian bear until they get a response which when it comes will be in no one's interest particularly for the poor innocents caught in the middle.

None of them appear to have learnt anything from history or about the political geography of the Ukraine and Crimea.

Charge of the Light Brigade all over again.

As much as I agree if you keep poking the Bear...

But Russia is trying it best to surreptitiously take over the Ukraine, if Russia Putin gets away with it, who next.

Better to cage the bear while you can.

[brain150]

These G7 imbeciles (so puffed up with their own self importance!!) are hell bent on poking the Russian bear until they get a response which when it comes will be in no one's interest particularly for the poor innocents caught in the middle.

None of them appear to have learnt anything from history or about the political geography of the Ukraine and Crimea.

Charge of the Light Brigade all over again.

As much as I agree if you keep poking the Bear...

But Russia is trying it best to surreptitiously take over the Ukraine, if Russia Putin gets away with it, who next.

Better to cage the bear while you can.

Well, pretty much all evidence shows that NATO [which is pretty much the US + some slave states] have financed and

organized the coup in the Ukraine.

NATO expansions to the east is the real issue here ! And it is a BIG risk to security in europe - NOT Putin !!!

What would the US say if China would expand towards Canada or Mexico ....

NATO wants the conflict with Russia [endgame is China] as they need to control EURASIA !!!

A partnership of germany and russia is the only real threat to the US Empire according to Mr. George Friedman of Stratfor Globgal Intelligence !

Taken from: Washington's blog:

The head of the private intelligence agency Stratfor has for the first time publicly said that the US government considers to be its overriding strategic objective the prevention of a German-Russian alliance. Blocking that alliance is the only way to prevent an alternative world power capable of challenging extension of the American position of being the world’s lone superpower. [in this video, he says that the U.S. will fail in that overriding objective; German technology and capital will combine with Russian natural resources and “land-power,” to produce a truly bipolar world: U.S. v. Eurasia. So: he sees the U.S. strategy as being to block that, by weakening both Germany and Russia. That strategy would explain what Obama is doing in Ukraine, and the sanctions that are hurting both Russia and Germany, but Friedman thinks that nothing can work.]

... I would be far more scared of the US psychopath than of Mr. Putin !

[Srikcir]

Putin wants to re-secure all of Eastern Euorpe reminiscent of the USSR power bloc during the Cold War. He tried energy blackmail and financial incentives but found the people valued their democracies more than their security. So the former USSR KBG agent has turned to what he knows best - FORCE.

The G7 is amazingly unified and thus far has offered only reaction for every action to alter Putin's aims. But there is a redline where initiative action is the only viable response. Putin could barely contain Chechen insurgents in Russia. Will he bet success on an outright military confrontation with Europe and the US to pursue his imperial goals?

Thailand may want to insist on US dollars for its trade with Russia. Rubles may soon be turning into rubble.