The leaders from the Group of Seven on Friday agreed to continue taking countermeasures against Russia and North Korea over the two countries’ growing military collaboration in the invasion of Ukraine.
During their online summit, the leaders also expressed hope for a “peaceful and orderly” transition of power in Syria after rebels toppled the government of President Bashar al-Assad, according to the Italian government, which holds the rotating G7 chair this year.
The industrialized democracies — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, along with the European Union — held the virtual summit as the Russian-led military operations in Ukraine go on, and while rebel fighters in Syria have seized the nation’s capital.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends an online Group of Seven summit from his official residence in Tokyo on Dec. 14, 2024. (Photo courtesy of the Cabinet Public Relations Office)(Kyodo)
“The G7 leaders once again condemned Russia’s brutal aggression, reaffirming their intention to support the Ukrainian people’s fight for freedom, sovereignty and independence,” the Italian government said.
According to Rome, the leaders also “stated their intention to continue imposing measures against those who support Moscow’s war effort,” in an apparent reference to Pyongyang.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shared concerns with his G7 counterparts that closer cooperation between Russia and North Korea, such as Pyongyang’s dispatch of troops to the war in Ukraine, will impact security in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the Japanese government.
The online summit took place after the G7 leaders pledged in a statement earlier this week to back a framework that would lead to “credible, inclusive and nonsectarian governance” in the conflict-torn Syria.
Assad reportedly fled to Moscow, ending more than half a century of his family’s rule over Syria, which has been locked in a civil war since 2011.
Related coverage:
N. Korea-Russia alliance could impact Indo-Pacific security: Sweden
G7 raps North Korean troops in Russia as threat to Indo-Pacific security
G7 foreign ministers begin talks in Italy with Middle East in focus