Sawt Falasteen - G7 calls for urgent Ukraine ceasefire, de-escalation in Sudan

In a joint statement, the top diplomats from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States voiced "unwavering support" for Ukraine's territorial integrity.

"An immediate ceasefire is urgently needed," the Group of Seven said.

At the talks near the famed Niagara Falls, G7 leaders discussed various options to bolster funding for Ukraine's efforts against Russia's invasion.

The statement said the scenarios discussed included "further leveraging immobilized Russian sovereign assets" held across different G7 jurisdictions -- a complex strategy that has been debated intensively within the European Union.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha -- who was invited to the talks -- had earlier told reporters that the G7 needed to increase pressure on Russia's Vladimir Putin while reinforcing Ukraine's war-making capacity.

"Putin still has an illusion that he can win," Sybiha said.

"In reality, he has lost over one million soldiers and has not achieved a single strategic goal...We must make the cost of continuing this war unbearable and dangerous for Putin personally and his regime," he added.

Earlier Wednesday, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand announced new sanctions on entities that Canada says are used to launch cyberattacks on Ukraine.

Vessels that are part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet -- ships allegedly used to transport Russian oil in defiance of global sanctions -- were also targeted.

"Canada will continue to ensure that Russia's actions do not go unpunished," Anand told reporters.

She said the sanctions were the first on the "IT infrastructure used in Russia's hybrid strategies against Ukraine."

Companies involved in Russia's liquefied natural gas industry were also on the sanctions list.

The UK also announced £13 million ($17.1 million) of funding to help repair Ukraine's energy sector, which has sustained massive Russian attacks in recent days.

- Sudan violence -

The joint G7 statement also condemned surging violence in Sudan, saying the conflict between the African nation's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had triggered "the world's largest humanitarian crisis."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged international action to cut off weapons to Sudan's Rapid Support Forces, blaming the paramilitary force for surging bloodshed.

"I think something needs to be done to cut off the weapons and support that the RSF is getting as they continue with their advances," Rubio told reporters as he left the G7 talks.

Since April 2023, the war between Sudan's army and the RSF has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million.

The G7 meeting came two weeks after the RSF captured El-Fasher, the last army stronghold in western Darfur.

Reports of mass killings have since emerged.

The G7 urged both sides to "de-escalate, commit to an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and ensure rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance."

- Venezuela, US-Canada friction -

As the talks opened Tuesday, France's Jean-Noel Barrot delivered a stark warning about the potential consequences of the US military buildup in the Caribbean, which President Donald Trump's administration says is aimed at countering the illegal global drug trade.

"We have observed, with concern, military operations in the Caribbean region because they disregard international law," Barrot told reporters, hours after a US aircraft carrier strike group entered an area under control of the US Naval Forces Southern Command, which encompasses Latin America and the Caribbean.

Rubio said Wednesday that G7 allies did not raise concerns with him over Venezuela and denied a CNN report that Britain had curbed intelligence sharing.

"No one in the meeting raised it," he said.

Rubio also held bilateral talks in Niagara with Anand, but the pair did not discuss Trump's trade war, which has forced job losses in Canada and squeezed economic growth.

Anand faced tough questions about her decision not to press the tariff issue with Rubio, arguing it was outside her mandate.

"The issues relating to trade fall within the purview of other cabinet ministers," she said.

Q.Najjar--SF-PST