Us asking G7 to ban all exports to Russia? Allies oppose!

The European Union and Japan have opposed a US proposal for a total ban on exports to Russia from G7 countries as part of negotiations ahead of the summit of the world's most advanced economies.

G7 leaders will hold a three-day summit in Hiroshima on May 19 to focus on the fallout from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, economic security, green investment and the Indo-Pacific region.

G7 leaders are drafting a statement for their meeting in Hiroshima next month that includes a commitment to replace the current sector-by-sector sanctions regime against Russia with a blanket export ban with a few exemptions, according to the Financial Times. Exemptions include agricultural, medical and other products.

Representatives of Japan and European Union countries said at a preparatory meeting last week that such a move would not be feasible. One of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said:

"From our perspective, that's simply not feasible."

The G7 comprises the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Italy and Canada, while the European Union is an informal member. In the case of the EU, for sanctions to take effect, all 27 member states must agree.

The EU has agreed a package of 10 sanctions against Russia since February 2022, but only after weeks of wrangling among member states, some of which secured exemptions for some of their industries by threatening to veto the measures.

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